Sins of the Father
by PonchoLives
Summary: Nick and Grissom investigate the emergence of a cultlike group involved in the disappearances of several individuals. As tension outside of the case mounts between the two CSIs, it produces dangerous aftershocks that have tragic repercussions for both men
1. Prologue

**Title**: "Sins of the Father"

**Author**: PonchoLives

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing except for the laptop on which this story was composed.

**Summary**: Nick and Grissom investigate the emergence of a cult-like group involved in the disappearances of several individuals. As the tension outside of the case mounts between the two CSIs, it produces dangerous aftershocks that have tragic repercussions for both men. Set one month post "Boom" in S1.

**Author's Note**: The Prodigal Author has returned! After literally months of working on this story, it is now ready for posting. This has truly been a labor of love and it chock full of angst just like I promised. Have fun and thanks in advance for reviewing!

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Prologue

Fire. Burning. Consuming. Overwhelming. Uncontrollable. Deadly.

As the red and orange flames danced chaotically before him, he was struck by the power and awesomeness that a fire raging possessed. It would have been a beautiful sight were it not for the fact that this fire was completely wild, signaling destruction and quite possibly, the end of life as he knew it. The flames reached high into the sky, causing the darkness of the night to flee from its presence. They seemed to have a mind of their own as they licked the wood, consuming everything in sight.

Ash spewed forth from the monster that raged before him, covering him from head to toe. Though his face was dark and dingy, he made no effort to wipe himself clean. Smoke swirled around him, engulfing him in its darkness. His eyes burned but he made no effort to wave it away. The intense heat radiating from the fire hit him full blast. His cheeks burned painfully, but he did not throw up a hand to shield them. The smell of the fire assaulted his nostrils, making the insides of them sting. He coughed repeatedly but made no effort move himself away from the fire's presence. He was beyond caring about his own personal safety. It didn't matter now.

Firemen rushed all around him in an effort to tame the blaze, but it seemed to be unmanageable. He knew that he should probably get out of their way, but he had long since lost control over his motor functions. Instead, he stood idly by, watching the flames consume the building before him. Most of the screaming had stopped and that was about the only thing for which he could be thankful. Now all he heard were the shouts of the firemen and the sound of water rushing out of hoses at an incredible speed.

A fireman rushing by finally took notice of the man standing mesmerized by the flames and he called out a warning to him. "Sir, you're gonna have to back away from the building!"

He didn't answer. He just stared at the flames, hypnotized by their dance of destruction.

The fireman approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His voice was still raised so as to be heard over the roar of the blaze. "Sir! You're gonna to have to back away! It's not safe here!"

He turned to face the fireman, staring blankly at him. He felt the nagging sensation that he should know the name of the man before him, most likely having seen him at a crime scene before, but he could not recall his name.

The fireman recognized the look in the man's eyes. The man was in shock and for good reason. When they had arrived on the scene, he had come stumbling out of the burning building behind two others. He had looked frantically behind him as if he had lost something and then turned to rush back inside. He had to be physically restrained until the reality of the situation had sunk in, making him stand there like a wax work. Though he felt a sting of pity for the man, the fireman could not take the time to coddle him. He needed to get back to work before the fire spread to another building.

Gently but firmly, the fireman grabbed the man's arm and began to lead him away. He was grateful that the man did not protest but went willingly with him. He felt like he was leading a small child rather than a grown man.

"Are you injured, sir?" He asked above the roar of the flames as he took in the man's appearance. He didn't appear to be injured, but it was always best to ask anyway.

Even though he was staring at the fireman, the man gave no indication of having heard his question.

The fireman lead him over to a place that was safe and out of the path of his hard-working brothers. He plopped the man unceremoniously on an upturned crate that faced away from the fire, thinking it was best that he didn't continue to stare at the burning building.

"Stay here. I'll get an EMT over here to make sure you're okay." the fireman said.

He shot the man one more look of sympathy before departing. The physical damage caused by a fire was nothing compared to the emotional damage it caused. There was perhaps nothing more upsetting to him than to see the survivor of a fire fall into that complete state of helplessness. Though he and his brothers might be able to save the building, he could not save the man sitting on that crate. The fire had already done its worst damage.

Now released from the mind-controlling hold of the fire, Gil Grissom's head sunk into his hand, completely exhausted. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this tired. Every fiber of his being ached with an overwhelming sense of fatigue. An enormous weight was crushing him as he tried to stave off the feeling of hopelessness that threatened to engulf him.

Though death is never a good thing, you can consider yourself lucky if only one dead body turns up in your case. Two bodies is bad. Three bodies is a tragedy. Four bodies is catastrophic. What this case had turned up, though, was nothing short of a massacre.

Numerous fatalities of that he was certain. At least two people that he knew of were on their way to the hospital, but his immediate thoughts and concerns were with the two people he knew for certain were still trapped inside that burning building. Dead or alive was uncertain.

Regret. Disappointment. Shame. Sorrow. These were things that he was not accustomed to feeling. At least, not all at once. His heart was pounding, each beat driving home the fear that this was all his fault. This situation might have been avoided were it not for his pride and stupidity. He was the supervisor. The man in charge. The leader. He was ashamed to admit that he had failed miserably at that task over the past few days.

He should have offered more encouragement than criticism. He should have had more understanding rather than being judgmental. He should have been more forgiving rather than letting himself be ruled by his anger. He should have behaved more maturely instead of letting himself get drawn into that fight with Nick. He should have patched things up with him rather than letting his CSI leave angry. He should have helped Nick instead of leaving him behind in that burning building.

But it was too late for "should have's."

Though he did not particularly want to talk, part of him wished for Catherine's comforting presence. She was the only one who would have an inkling of the various emotions battling inside of him. With the slight touch of her hand, she would be able to convey so much sympathy and support and by only speaking a few words, she could make him feel hopeful again. It was something that he desperately needed. The other part did not want her anywhere near him because her presence would just remind him of his failure. Catherine would not have let this happen. She would have handled things differently. Of this he had no doubt. She had tried to caution him, tried to get him to understand, but he had been too stubborn to listen, something he now regretted.

No doubt Catherine would be here soon. Warrick and Sara too. Probably the Sheriff as well. Not to mention the media. The news of this tragedy would not be contained.

It was like a bad dream, one from which he expected to awake at any moment, but he knew that this was not going to happen. It was real. This was reality - hard, cold, and staring him in the face. Nothing was going to change that. He wasn't an emotional man, but he felt this choking sensation build up in his throat and his eyes were stinging in a way that he knew had nothing to do with the smoke to which they had been subjected.

Someone approached him from the side and he heard the scrapping sound of another crate being dragged over next to the one on which he was seated.

"I'm sorry, Gil." the gruff voice of Detective Brass said.

Grissom sighed inwardly. If Brass was here to get his statement, he wasn't sure he was ready to give one. Everything seemed like such a blur to him and besides, even he didn't know all the details. The person who knew the details was Nick and he might not be making a statement any time soon. He waited for Brass to say something, but the man remained silent. Jim just sat on his crate, staring straight ahead just like him.

Grissom found unexpected comfort in the company of Brass, which finally brought him to the place where he could speak again. When he did so, his voice was barely audible. "Jim?"

"Yeah Gil?" Brass asked, turning his head to look at the CSI.

"How did it all come to this?" Grissom whispered.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I'm sick and feel the need to be cheered up. Since posting makes me happy, I'm going to do so.You are benefitting from my infirmity, but don't expect to get updates so quickly in the future! Now, you're now going to learn "how it all came to this." Enjoy! And thanks for the kind reviews!

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Chapter One

A few days earlier...

Nick Stokes pulled up in front of the Morrison home, located in the middle of an upper-middle class neighborhood. It was one of those cookie-cutter subdivisions where every house looked exactly the same. Every house was a light brown stucco with white trim, complete with a matching mailbox. Every lawn was well-manicured and though the flowers in each garden may have varied, the overall landscape design was the same. Stan Morrison's house was no exception.

The red and blue lights shining from the cop cars reflected eerily off the brown stucco. The usually quiet neighborhood was teaming with life. Cops were patrolling the area, simultaneously keeping the looky-loos at bay and trying to gather any useful information from them.

Exiting his vehicle, Nick walked up the pathway with his case swinging idly at his side. Feeling his heart start to pound a bit, he steeled his nerves for what was about to greet him. His anxiousness had nothing to do with the case. It had everything to do with Grissom.

The last few weeks had been nothing short of a nightmare. He was hoping that he'd be able to work his way back into the good graces of his boss, but Grissom had shown no signs of being appeased. No angels had come to liberate him from the purgatory he had found himself in ever since that night. Call it a moment of weakness. Call it a moment of stupidity. Call it a moment of blind infatuation. The night he spent with Kristy Hopkins seemed to have ruin Nick forever in the eyes of the man he tried so hard to please.

Kristy.

He had not allowed himself to think about her much since her death almost a month ago. It was all still too painful and not just because he had almost been arrested for her murder. He just couldn't get past the realization that he had failed her. All he had wanted to do was help her, save her from the lifestyle she had created for herself, but instead of rescuing her from this wayward life, Nick had nearly been destroyed by it.

Helping people was very important to him. That was one of the main reasons why Nick had become a CSI in the first place. He had felt sorry for Kristy, sensing that she had no one who cared for her. Having grown up in such a large family, the concept of being totally alone in the world was foreign to Nick and it seemed like a completely awful way to exist. He wanted to be that "someone" for Kristy - the person she could turn to for help and encouragement.

But she could not be saved. Indeed, if one were to take Jack's words as truth, it seemed that she had only told Nick what he wanted to hear. Full of his own grand visions of his success, he had fallen for her false promises and been lured into her bed. The thought of being made a fool made him nauseous. He wasn't sure if he should believe Jack, but then again, don't those in Kristy's profession make a living off telling men what they want to hear?

Nick forced those unpleasant thoughts from his mind. It would not due to have his attention split now. That would just give Grissom another reason to be annoyed at him. He needed to focus on the case.

He made his way inside the house and quickly surveyed the room. Everything appeared to be in order. There was no sign of a struggle in the front part of the house, but perhaps a more careful observation would yield different findings. He spotted his supervisor talking the Brass and walked over to them.

"Hey Grissom. Hey Brass. What do we know so far?" he asked looking from Grissom to Brass.

"Our missing person is Stanley Morrison, age 33. When he didn't show up for work today and didn't answer his phone, his secretary became concerned. She came over here and saw that his car was still here. Apparently, she has a key to Mr. Morrison's house." Brass cocked a suggestive eyebrow at this before continuing.

"She came inside and found the house empty. Mr. Morrison appears to have vanished, leaving his car, his keys, his wallet, and his cell phone behind." Brass finished.

"Stanley Morrison. Why does that name seem so familiar?" Nick asked, furrowing his brows together in an attempt to recall the information.

"About two months ago, he was the prime suspect in the murder of George Parsons, who incidentally was Morrison's best friend. There was not enough evidence to guarantee a conviction so the DA was unwilling to prosecute." Grissom said, filling in the pieces.

"Right." Nick nodded. "Ecklie's case."

Brass continued. "Parsons was engaged to a woman by the name of Rae Lynn Michaels. Their wedding was supposed to take place last month."

Nick exhaled slowly. "Well, she'd have a reason for snatching Morrison. We should definitely talk to her."

"Let's process the house before we start going after suspects, Nick. After all, we wouldn't want to do anything rash." Grissom spoke in clipped tones before he turned away from Nick.

Feeling his cheeks flush a bit, Nick sat his case down and opened it. _'This is going to be a long shift.' _he thought as he snapped his latex gloves in place.

As he began to process the living room, Nick's thoughts strayed to Grissom who was working in the kitchen. The man did not appear to enjoy being in Nick's company these days, but didn't seem capable of letting the younger man out of his sights. When he wasn't paired up with Grissom on a case, he was paired with Catherine. Not Warrick. Not Sara. It was as if Grissom didn't trust Nick to do anything anymore with out the supervision of an elder.

Nick gritted his teeth in an effort to quell the emotions that were running rampant throughout him. It wouldn't do to allow them to get him down. He needed to stay positive. Maybe this was the case that would change things between him and his boss. Perhaps he'd finally find a way out from under Grissom's heel. Goodness knows he had been trying, but perhaps he hadn't been trying hard enough.

Noticing a point of disturbance by the side window, Nick moved forward to examine it more closely. There was a table next to the window and the vase had been knocked over. The water had pooled on the table, staining the wood almost black. Nick noticed that the window was open a bit.

"_Just wide enough for a small person to squeeze through."_ Nick thought to himself. _"Bet the kidnapper knocked over the vase in the process. If the victim had done it, he would have cleaned it up."_

He photographed the open window and the table before pulling out his print powder. As he began to dust for prints, he could feel the critical eye of his supervisor monitoring his actions. Nick pretended not to notice. Indeed, Grissom peering over his shoulder was becoming quite a common occurrence these days. He didn't like it, but he hoped that by doing so, Grissom would soon start to feel confident again in his ability to due his job.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

He pulled a few prints off the window and its ledge, hoping that he find something to compare them to later. Turning around, his eyes scanned the room for any other thing that seemed out of place, but there wasn't anything. Everything else seemed to be in picture-perfect order. Stan Morrison must have prided himself on keeping his house immaculate.

Grissom reappeared in front of him, holding an evidence jar.

"Did you find anything?" the older man asked.

Nick was quick to rush on with his thoughts. "Yeah, this window is the only one open. It's just wide enough for a person with a slight build to squeeze through. I also noted that a vase on the table next to the window was knocked over. Our victim seems to be a real neat-freak so I'm assuming that if he had knocked over the vase, he would have cleaned it up. I managed to collect some workable prints."

"Yes, perhaps. That would be a reasonable assumption." Grissom nodded. "Did you photograph the window and the table before you dusted for prints?"

Nick nodded, feeling a touch deflated. That was a question that a rookie should be asked, not him. He was a level three CSI. He knew what to do.

Grissom held his jar up for Nick to see. "There was a glass sitting on the counter containing iced tea. It was half empty and again, I think our victim would have cleaned it up if he was done with it, which makes me wonder if there was a reason he was not able to finish it."

Catching on, Nick said, "You think he was drugged."

"If he was, we'll soon know." Grissom turned to leave. "Let's get back to work."

Nick exhaled slowly as he fought back the emotions that raged inside of him. Yes, indeed, it was going to be a long shift.

* * *

They spent the next few hours going over Stan Morrison's home with a fine tooth comb but had nothing else to show for all their trouble. Nothing else was out of place in their victim's spotless home. Nick still felt in his gut that the next best course of action was to speak to Rae Lynn Michaels as she was their best suspect at this point, but he didn't dare broach that subject again. Grissom wouldn't respond favorably to that - not unless the evidence pointed in that direction. So he'd wait patiently to see what the evidence revealed. 

When he got back to the lab, he took his prints to the print lab. He found Mandy standing at the printer, waiting for it to spit out the results she had found.

"Hey Mandy. Got something for you." Nick said with a smile as he held the tape lifts in his hands. He leaned slightly on the counter in front of him.

"Hmm. Why am I not surprised?" She gave him a dry smile as she grabbed the results that had just been printed and turned to face Nick.

"What's that?" Nick nodded his head at the paper in the brunette's hands.

"Results from Warrick's robbery. He's going to be happy." Mandy waved the paper in her hand, smiling at her own success.

"Well, I could use some happiness. Work your magic." Nick slid the tape lifts across the counter and waited.

She stared at him. "Are you just going to stand there? Isn't there somewhere else you need to be? Some other evidence that you need to process?"

"We didn't collect a lot of evidence at the scene. These prints and a glass of iced tea that might be laced with something were all Grissom and I collected." Nick told her.

"Wouldn't you rather hang out with Greg while he processes your tea? He's more fun than me." Mandy asked suspiciously.

"Nah. Grissom's taking care of that. I'm kinda anxious about these prints. If you don't mind, I'll stay here and wait for the results." Nick tried to sound casual. Truth was, he just wanted to stay out of Grissom's way and out of trouble.

Mandy shrugged. "Suit yourself, but this could take a while."

"That's cool." Nick pulled up a stool and sat down.

He watched as she began to process his prints. Mandy made her work seem effortless. Nick could only imagine that processing prints day in and day out could get a little old. It wasn't like working trace where you never really knew what substance you were working with or ballistics where you got to test fire guns. It was just fingerprints. But Mandy didn't seem to mind. Her movements were so fluid and graceful that he quickly got caught up watching her work.

Finally, the computer emitted a beep and Mandy's face broadened into a smile.

"I've got a match for you." She told him happily.

"I knew you could do it. Let me have it." Nick said enthusiastically.

"Your prints belong to one Rae Lynn Michaels. Got her prints off her work card at the Tangiers." Mandy informed him. "I'm printing your results right now."

Nick left Mandy feeling very excited. He felt a touch vindicated in that his initial desire to check out Rae Lynn had been accurate. It wasn't that he wanted to prove Grissom wrong or anything like that. He just wanted his boss to realize that he wasn't completely useless.

He found Grissom with Greg, who was speaking animatedly about the iced tea Grissom had brought him.

"Hey Nick." the spiky-haired lab tech greeted him with a wave. "I was just telling Grissom what I found in your iced tea."

"What was it?" Nick asked he took up position next to Grissom.

"Chloral Hydrate." Greg said with wide-eyed amusement.

"Someone slipped him a Mickey." A smile tugged playfully at the corners of Nick's mouth.

"Yep! Enough to put you vic out like a light. He'll probably have one heck of a headache when he wakes up." Greg said.

"Nice work, Greg." Grissom offered the tech a rare smile.

Nick held up the results he had gotten from Mandy, anxious to share his findings as well. "Rae Lynn Michaels crawled through our vic's window."

Wordlessly, Grissom took the paper from Nick and read it. Furrowing his brows, he turned and walked out of the lab, waving for Nick to follow him.

"So are we gonna get Brass and head over to talk to our suspect?" Nick asked expectantly.

"Now that we have physical evidence pointing in the direction of Rae Lynn Michaels, that would be the next logical course of action." Grissom replied over his shoulder.

* * *

"Ms. Michaels used to live on the other side of town, but when her fiancee died, she moved in with a friend." Brass told them as they stood outside her condo. 

"That's gotta be just terrible. Losing your fiancee like that and then the guy who killed him gets off. No wonder she did what she did." Nick commented.

"We don't know that she did anything other than break into his home. Let's stay focused on what we know for sure." Grissom told him.

The supervisor knocked on the door and waited for a response. They heard the sound of footsteps approaching and the door swung open to reveal a petite blonde woman.

"Rae Lynn Michaels?" Grissom asked uncertain.

"No. I'm her roommate, Sandra. Rae Lynn's not home right now." the woman told them. "What do you want?"

"My name is Gil Grissom. I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. It's imperative that we speak with Ms. Michaels. Do you know when she'll be back?" the scientist asked.

"No. Frankly, she should have been home a long time ago, but she's developed the habit of staying out for long periods of time." Sandra admitted.

"What do you mean by that?" Brass asked. He wondered if Rae Lynn had taken up stalking Stan Morrison.

"Well, things have been really rough for her the past two months what with George's death and all that. She would disappear for long periods of time and I started to get worried, but I found out that's when she was meeting with her shrink. He's been really good about making himself available for her whenever she needs to talk." Sandra told them.

"Do you think she's with her shrink now?" Brass inquired. Privately, he would bet big money that she was in some secret location torturing the man responsible for the murder of her fiancee.

"Yeah, probably. She spends more time talking to him than me, but as long as she's getting help, I'm okay with that." the blonde sighed and leaned her head against the door.

"What's her psychologist's name?" Grissom hoped Sandra would be able to provide them with a bit more information.

"Levi Prosper." Sandra said. "He came very highly recommended."

At her words, a chill washed over Nick. Dr. Levi Prosper. He wasn't sure if he was ready to deal with that man again. That man had given Nick the creeps from the first moment he had laid eyes on him. He glanced at Grissom and Brass and could tell that Sandra's words had a similar effect on them.

"Thank you very much for your time." Grissom said politely.

Sandra nodded and shut the door.

As the three men made their way down the walkway, Brass exhaled. "Well this should be interesting. I was wondering if I was ever going to hear the good doctor's name again."

Grissom gritted his teeth, his mind churning with a variety of thoughts. "Rae Lynn Michaels may have abducted Stan Morrison, but Dr. Prosper is our real threat. If he has his way, Stan Morrison will end up just like Thomas Sanford."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: Congrats to my Longhorns! Way to go, guys!

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Chapter Two

Grissom sat in his office, thinking. He had placed his elbows on the armrests of his chair and he held the earpiece of his glasses to the corner of his mouth in a pensive manner. He closed his eyes and contemplated the case that brought them to Prosper's door a month ago.

_There was blood everywhere. It dripped from the walls, covered the furniture, and pooled on the floor. It was as if the killer had drained every ounce of blood from his victim and then spread it all over the room to be used as some macabre sort of decoration. All this made it very difficult to maneuver around the room without stepping in some of the victim's blood._

_The metallic smell of it permeated the entire house. There was no escaping it. It was far more than the stench of death. It was the stench of a massacre. Thomas Sanford's killer had shown him no mercy and his suffering had been severe. The sight of all that blood and the smell of it gave the whole feel of the crime scene an unnatural sense of terror - like you had just stepped inside a horror flick. The cops were keeping a distance and even Brass was doing his best to stay outside._

_Grissom stood just outside of the room, observing the sight in silence. He was trying to figure out what to tackle first - the blood or the body. They were going to have to collect samples of every blood drop as it was more than likely that the killer had cut himself in his vigor to commit his crime. He felt himself stiffen as he sensed Nick approach and stand next to him._

_Nick exhaled sharply as he took in the crime scene for the first time. _

"_This is unreal." he said, amazed. "Look at all that blood. And the smell!"_

"_Make sure you breathe through your nose." Grissom cautioned. "I don't want you throwing up in here. You'll contaminate the evidence."_

_Nick stole a glance at his boss. For the past few days, he had been wondering when it would be a good time to bring up the issue that had been weighing on him. He looked behind him and saw that the cop standing guarding over the scene was well out of earshot. He figured now was as good as time as any. _

"_Look, Grissom, about the whole thing with Kristy, I - " he started but Grissom cut him off._

"_There's nothing to discuss, Nick. Catherine got your name cleared and the situation resolved itself." Grissom said without looking at him._

"_Yeah, but - " There were still some things that Nick wanted to say. He wanted to explain himself, but once again, Grissom would not let him speak._

"_We're done, Nick. There's nothing else to say." Grissom turned to look at him and the sight that met him made Nick quickly shut his mouth. There was a fire in Grissom's eyes that Nick had not seen before and it made him uneasy. Despite what Grissom might say, the situation did not appear to be resolved. At least not between them. Not by a long shot._

_Feeling that it was best to switch topics, Nick stated, "Brass said that our victim lived here with his son, Nathan, who's currently MIA."_

"_He could be a second victim." Grissom mused._

"_Or our suspect." Nick countered._

_Nick turned his focus to the room. His eyes began to survey it in its entirety and stopped when something caught his attention._

"_Grissom, what's that on the VCR? Is that a note?" Nick asked in confusion._

_The older man looked to where Nick had indicated and saw that there was something there. He felt slightly annoyed. He had been too focused on the body laying in the middle of the room and the blood surrounding it that he'd missed the note. Curious, Grissom ventured carefully into the room with Nick right behind him. He leaned forward and examined the note. _

"_There's blood on it. It's possible that our killer placed this here." Grissom said._

"_Play Me." Nick read aloud. He gave a small chuckle. "That's very 'Alice in Wonderland.'"_

"_Well, let's see what's behind the looking glass." Grissom pressed the television's power button and then turned on the VCR. As he did so, a young man in his late teens appeared on the screen. _

"_To the detectives who examine this crime scene, let me greet you and explain my actions to you. While people may know me as Nathan Sanford, I have rejected the surname of this man before me. He is not my true father and I will no longer be shackled to him." The camera flashed to a very much alive Thomas Sanford, who was bound to a chair with tape over his mouth._

_The camera flashed back to Nathan. "Ask yourself what you would do if you lived with a man who treated you like garbage. This is a man who is supposed to love you. He's supposed to take care of you and yet he rejects that responsibility. How can I call this man father? Does he not represent everything contrary to what a father is supposed to be?" _

"_What did I do to deserve such cruel treatment? Nothing! Too long I have felt the shame and guilt he forced upon me when in reality, he is the guilty one. Too long have I allowed this man to dominate me, to beat me down, to break my will. I will no longer allow him to hurt me. I will be strong. I will show him who has the power. Men like him should not be allowed to live in this world. They are cruel and they feed off the pain and humiliation of others. His crimes against me are worthy of death and he will pay."_

_Nathan walked over to Thomas' side and now Nick and Grissom were able to see the knife Nathan was holding in his hand. Thomas was now squirming like a stuck pig. Nathan raised the knife over his head and then brought it crashing down. The next few minutes were some of the most disturbing of Grissom's life. The murder was brutal to say the least. He wanted to look away but couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen. At one point, Nathan cut Thomas free and the bleeding man made a desperate attempt to get away, but his son renewed his savage attack without mercy._

_When it was finally over, a blood-spattered Nathan walked towards the camera with an almost wild look in his eye. "I have seen the dawning of a new and glorious day and it is beautiful. My true father has shown it to me. No longer will the innocent suffer. Those who are guilty will perish and their blood will flow. The Day of Purging is at hand."_

_The screen went dark and Grissom hit the power button. Both CSIs were silent for a few minutes as they tried to digest what they had just seen._

"_Have you ever seen anything like that?" Nick asked quietly._

_Grissom turned to look at the younger man. He noted his somewhat pale complexion and felt sure that his face looked similar. "No."_

"_He's not just your typical angry teenager. There's something else going on here. What's he talking about? The Day of Purging? What's that?" Nick wiped a hand over his mouth._

"_I don't know." Grissom answered. "All I know is that there was someone else in the room during the murder. I would like to know who was behind the camera."_

"_Well, at least we don't have figure out who the murder is and we know that all this blood belongs to our vic." Nick said. "We even know when the murder was committed. The time stamp was in the right-hand corner."_

"_This may be one of the few times our crime scene isn't going to be able to tell us anything new." Grissom stated. "Let's take a look at Nathan's room. Perhaps we'll learn something about him."_

_They made their way upstairs to Nathan's room. Upon first glance, nothing stood out as unusual. Everything belied the tension that existed between father and son. The room was well-kept and organized. _

"_Nothing's telling me that this room belongs to a disturbed individual." Nick said with a wave of his hand. "It looks like it belongs to a nice, normal kid."_

"_Appearances can be deceiving. You have to dig deeper." Grissom instructed him._

_Grissom walked over to the night stand and pulled open the drawer. Inside, he found a photo of Nathan and a young brunette who appeared to be the same age as him. They were sitting close together and Nathan had an arm draped across her shoulder. Grissom wondered vaguely if she was their Tarantino._

"_What's that? A photo?" Nick peered over his supervisor's shoulder. Immediately, he drew a sharp intake of breath._

"_What?" Grissom asked curiously._

"_I know that girl." Nick answered quietly._

"_You know her?" Grissom was stunned. "How? Who is she?"_

"_Her name is Donna Redman. She's my next door neighbor." Nick said, giving his boss an intense look. He had a good idea what Grissom was thinking. "She's a good kid. She wasn't the one filming the murder. She wouldn't be involved in anything like that."_

"_Perhaps, but she might know where our suspect is." Grissom replied._

_They searched Nathan's room from top to bottom but found nothing pertinent to their investigation. There were no notes scribbled on paper explaining what Nathan had meant by the Day of Purging. Nothing to indicate where he had gone. Nothing to indicate that he had been planning to brutally murder his father._

"_I'm going to get Brass and then go see your neighbor, Donna." Grissom said as they made their way out of the house._

"_What about me?" Nick asked._

"_You know this girl, Nick. You live next door to her. You shouldn't be there when we question her." Grissom told him as he redoubled his pace._

"_She might be more willing to talk if I was there." Nick replied, scrambling to keep up with the older man._

"_Or she might be embarrassed and keep her mouth shut. Your presence will most likely be a liability. Just go back to the lab with the body." Grissom dismissed him with a wave.

* * *

_

"_So this is where Nicky lives." Brass gave Nick's house an inquisitive look as he exited his vehicle. His eyes roamed the rest of the street. "Seems like a nice, quiet neighborhood."_

_Grissom and Brass made their way to the front door of the Redman house and rang the doorbell. The woman who opened the door had to be Donna's mother. She looked just like her. She gave the men an inquisitive look, waiting for them to explain their presence at her door._

"_Patricia Redman? My name is Jim Brass. I'm with the Las Vegas Police and this is my colleague Gil Grissom. He's with the crime lab. We have a few questions we'd like to ask your daughter, Donna." Jim held up his badge for Mrs Redman to see._

_The woman seemed hesitant. "You want to talk to Donna? Is she in some kind of trouble?"_

_Jim shook his head and gave her a small smile. "No, ma'am. We just need to ask her a few questions regarding a crime we're investigating. We were hoping that Donna could provide us with some information."_

_Patricia still did not seem convinced, but she stepped aside to let them enter. "If you'll be seated, I'll go get Donna."_

_A few minutes later, she reappeared with her daughter. "Donna, these men would like to ask you some questions."_

_Donna shot a small smile in the direction of Grissom and Brass as she took a seat. She fiddled with her hands and appeared a bit apprehensive, but Grissom was not sure if this was due to guilt or just nerves from having to talk to the police._

"_Donna, my name is Gil Grissom. I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab and this is Detective Jim Brass." Gil greeted the young girl._

"_The Crime Lab?" Donna asked as she put a stray hand of her hair behind her ear. She seemed to be searching for some way to put herself at ease. "My neighbor works there. His name is Nick. You know him?"_

_Grissom nodded. "Yes, he works for me."_

"_Oh. He's a nice guy. I like him." she said allowing her eyes to briefly connect with Grissom's._

"_Donna, we'd like to ask you a few questions about Nathan Sanford." Grissom told her, thinking the time for pleasantries had come to an end._

_Adverting her eyes, she asked, "What makes you think I can tell you anything about him?"_

"_We found a picture of the two of you in his bedroom. You seemed pretty close." Grissom told her._

"_I guess you could say that we're friends." she admitted, stealing a glance at her mother who had remained silent thus far with her arms folded tightly across her chest._

_Grissom studied the girl carefully in an attempt to ascertain the underlying emotions behind her actions. Was she upset because she was linked to the murder of Thomas Sanford or because her secret relationship with Nathan had just been revealed? Perhaps it was too early to tell._

"_What were you doing in Nathan's house? He wasn't at school today. Is he okay?" Donna asked, her voice becoming a bit more confident._

"_No. His father was killed earlier today and he's missing. We need to find him." Grissom informed her._

_Donna eyed the CSI and seemed to understand the implications behind his words. "You think he killed his father."_

"_We know he did." Grissom said, appreciating Donna's straightforwardness. He had been afraid that he would have to dance around the truth somewhat in order to spare the girl's feelings. _

_Biting her lower lip, Donna nodded in understanding. "Things have been hard for the past six years ever since Nathan's mom left. Nathan and his dad didn't really get along."_

'_That's an understatement.' Grissom thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "There was a video tape at the crime scene on which Nathan recorded his confession. It gives us proof that someone else was present during the murder."_

"_And you think that person was me." Realization was dawning on her. "It wasn't. I was at school. Didn't miss a class and I had a tutoring session during lunch."_

'_Well that would be easy enough to verify.' Grissom thought as he shared a look with Brass._

"_Did you have any idea what he was going to do?" Brass asked, keeping his tone free from accusation._

"_No. I mean, I knew things were bad between them. That's part of the reason Nathan was acting out in school. But he seemed to be doing so much better. He was seeing a psychologist and everything. I don't understand how he could do a thing like this. He's not a bad person." Her voice dropped as she finished her words._

"_Nathan was seeing a psychologist?" Grissom asked. This was a new avenue to pursue. Perhaps the psychologist could provide some insight on his patient._

"_Yeah, the school counselor recommended it so his father sent him to one." Donna told them. "It was either that or expulsion. Mr. Sanford didn't want that."_

"_Do you happen to know the name of Nathan's psychologist?" Brass inquired._

"_Dr. Levi Prosper. Nathan never told me anything about his sessions other than that he really liked the guy." _

_That was all they were able to get from Donna. As soon as they were a few steps away from the house, they heard shouting begin. No doubt Patricia Redman had finally decided to voice her opinion on the whole matter. Grissom had been somewhat surprised by the taciturn nature Patricia had adopted during the questioning. Usually parents can't keep their mouths shut, but Patricia had remained silent though it had been obvious that she had been growing more angry with every revelation._

"_So I'm assuming that you're gonna swing by the lab and grab Nicky and then go talk to the shrink." Brass asked as they reached the vehicle._

"_We definitely need to talk to him." Grissom said._

"_Well that should be a fun conversation. I can just picture it - 'Hey Doc, what can you tell us about your patient who made mincemeat out of his father? You think he's mentally unstable?'" Brass allowed a sarcastic smile to play across his face._

_Grissom sighed and responded dryly. "Something like that."

* * *

_

_Some time later, Grissom and Nick walked into Dr. Levi Prosper's office. A perky blonde was sitting at the receptionist's desk, typing away on her keyboard. She raised her head as they entered._

"_Hello. Can I help you?" She greeted them with a smile._

"_Yes, we'd like to speak with Dr. Prosper. My name is Gil Grissom and this is Nick Stokes. We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab."_

"_You're in luck. Dr. Prosper just returned from lunch and he's not due to see another patient for about twenty minutes. If you'll just wait, I'll tell him that you're here." She smiled at them again and went to announce their presence._

_When she returned, she waved them in. "He will see you now."_

_They entered the office and found Levi Prosper sitting at his desk. He closed the file that he had been reading and stood up to greet his guests._

"_Gentlemen, Jill tells me that you're from the crime lab. How can I help you?" he asked, giving them a helpful smile._

"_We'd like to talk to you about a patient of yours. His name is Nathan Sanford." Grissom said, taking a seat._

"_Ah, yes. Nathan." Levi nodded. "He's in trouble I gather."_

"_Yes he is." Grissom admitted._

"_Tell me, is he the victim or the victimizer?" Levi asked curiously._

_His tone struck Grissom as odd and the scientist fixed the man with a penetrating gaze. Grissom could tell that Levi was a very guarded man. The kind of man whose face showed no emotion other than that which he had consciously decided to show. Levi held his gaze and seemed almost to smile at Grissom._

"_The victimizer. He killed his father." Nick told him plainly._

_Dr. Prosper shifted his gaze to Nick and seemed to consider him a moment. "Did he? Well, Nathan did have some issues with his father."_

_Nick was struck by the cavalier attitude the psychologist possessed. It was as if he didn't care at all. How could someone not care about the brutal murder of another person?_

"_Issues?" Nick repeated incredulously. "He butchered his father and we've got it on tape. I'd say he had more than a few issues. No one deserves that."_

"_You think so? That's an interesting position for someone in your line of work. Do you not make a living off of the punishment of others?" Levi countered. _

_Nick leaned forward in his seat and spoke in a clipped tone. "There's a difference. The people we put behind bars are guilty and we prove it before a court of law. They get what they deserve."_

"_Ah, the guilty get what they deserve. You like getting the bad guy, don't you?" Levi asked, amused._

_Nick did not like what the man seemed to be implying and opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when Grissom shot him a quelling look. This only served to amuse Levi further._

"_Dr. Prosper, Nathan has disappeared. We're wondering if you have any idea where he could be." Grissom asked, trying to get things back on track._

_Levi focused his attention on Grissom once again. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea where he could be."_

"_What did you and Nathan talk about during your sessions? Did you have any idea that he was going to kill his father?" Grissom inquired._

"_If I had suspected such a thing, I would have been obligated to report it." He said, running a hand through his brown hair. "I made no such report, but I'm sure you already know that."_

"_On the tape, he mentioned something called the Day of Purging. Did he ever make any reference to that in one of his sessions with you?" Grissom asked._

"_Mr. Grissom, you know I'm not free to divulge anything that Nathan shared with me during our sessions." Levi told him with a shake of his head._

"_We'd like to take a look at Nathan's file." Grissom told him plainly and then waited for the inevitable._

"_You won't get that from me without a court order." Levi said._

"_Then I'll get one." Grissom promised._

"_You do that and I'll be happy to oblige you." the psychologist said with the faintest trace of a smile._

_Grissom left the office in a foul mood. He had the nagging sensation that Prosper knew more than he was saying. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the man almost seemed to be laughing at them through the entire conversation as if it were all some big joke to him. _

"_I don't like that guy. Something's not right about him." Nick said, echoing Grissom's thoughts._

"_You shouldn't have let him goad you like that. Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?" Grissom snapped._

"_I was just answering his questions." Nick replied a bit defensively._

_Grissom rounded on the younger man. "No, you let him make you angry and gave him power over you. We were supposed to be questioning him about Nathan and he got you to discuss your personal beliefs. If you can't control your own emotions, you shouldn't take part in interviews. It's unprofessional."_

_Nick opened his mouth to say something, but Grissom held his hand up. "No more. Let's go back to the lab."_

_They got subpoena and read through every page of Nathan's file. There was no mention of the Day of Purging. No threats made against his father. In fact, everything implied that the therapy sessions were having the desired effect on Nathan._

_Nick tossed the file on the table with an air of annoyance. "This doesn't make sense. How can a kid who's supposedly making improvements like it indicates in his file commit an obviously premeditated murder and spout off all this weird ideology? It's like he's two different people."_

_Grissom had been thinking along similar lines and he had come to a disturbing conclusion. "Dr. Prosper makes no indication that he doubts Nathan's words. Makes no comment about him possessing a duplicitous nature. I find it hard to believe that Nathan could have deceived his psychologist so completely."_

_Nick's eyes dawned with realization. "You think he knew what Nathan was going to do."_

"_This file is too perfect. It shows remarkable improvement over a short span of time. Honestly, I find that hard to believe. I think this file is a complete fabrication. I think Dr. Prosper and his patient have been talking about something completely different for the past few months." Grissom said._

"_Well Nathan said that he had found his true father. Do you think he meant Prosper?" Nick asked._

"_That would make sense." Grissom agreed. "If Nathan was acting out to get the attention of his distant father, all Prosper would have to do to win him over is provide him with the kind of strong, paternal attention that Nathan was seeking and then manipulate him into killing his father." _

"_He was probably the one who videotaped the murder." Nick said. "I bet he also knows where Nathan is hiding."_

"_Most likely." Grissom nodded._

"_Well, I'll call the Judge and see if I can get a warrant." Nick said, getting to his feet._

_Gil made no response as Nick left. His mind was racing with thoughts. What kind of man manipulates a child into killing his father? What were his motivations for doing so? Was the Day of Purging something that Prosper had come up with and then shared with Nathan? Was there something more sinister than the murder of Thomas Sanford at hand?_

_A short while later, Nick returned and leaned against the doorframe. His defeated look told Grissom all that he needed to know before Nick uttered a word. "The Judge won't budge. He says we lack probable cause for a warrant, so unless we can get some hard evidence against our Dr. Prosper, we're out of luck."_

And that was it. They had not found sufficient evidence to link Prosper to the murder of Thomas Sanford or that he had concealed the whereabouts of Nathan Sanford. The man was tricky. Grissom had to admit it. He hoped that this time things would not go as well for Dr. Prosper.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"What do you expect to gain from visiting Prosper again? He's not going to tell us anything. He's too smart for that and he's not about to be intimidated by our presence on his doorstep." Nick asked as he attempted to keep up with Grissom's long strides.

"I'm not expecting him to reveal anything. I just want to observe him when we ask him about Rae Lynn Michaels. Observation is a key part of our job, Nick. You should know that." Grissom replied.

A variety of emotions were coursing through Grissom as they entered the door of Prosper's office. Normally, he wasn't one to follow his gut because he knew that it could be misleading, but he had no doubt in his mind that Levi Prosper was involved up to his eyeballs in this case as well as the Sanford case. He was determined to not let him get away again this time.

Jill, the blonde secretary, was sitting at her desk. Her perfectly manicured fingernails were clicking softly against the computer keys as she worked. She looked up when the scientists approached and smiled brightly.

"Hello again." she greeted.

"Hello." Grissom said in turn. "We'd like to speak with Dr. Prosper. It's rather urgent."

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Prosper's not in today. However, he left something on my desk that he wanted me to give to you." Jill opened a drawer and pulled out a package. She handed it to Grissom with a smile.

"He left this for me?" Grissom was surprised. This was something he had not been expecting. He shot a glance at Nick and noticed that the younger man's face was a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Yes. He left a note that clearly indicated that this was for you and that you'd be expecting it. He also asked me to apologize on his behalf for not being able to meet you in person." Jill told him.

"Do you know when he'll be back in the office?" Grissom asked.

Jill shook her head. "He just said that he would be out of town for a couple of days. Family emergency."

Grissom nodded his thanks and then turned to leave, feeling uncertain.

Once outside, Nick said, "If he knew we were coming, he must have had a role in Morrison's disappearance. But why would he tip his hand like that? He didn't a month ago, so why would he do it now? Doesn't make any sense." Nick sighed.

"It may not make sense to us, but he must have some reason for doing so. Everything that man does is carefully calculated." Grissom answered as he raised the package in his hand.

Nick eyed it wearily. "What do you think that is?"

Grissom responded by opening the package carefully. After examining the contents, he cocked a curious eyebrow at Nick and allowed him to look inside.

"Another video? I hope it's not like the last one. It took me days to get those images out of my head." Nick said wearily.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Grissom answered.

* * *

The lights in the AV lab were dimmed so they could view the tape properly. Nick fidgeted on his stool and exhaled slowly as if steeling his nerves for the worst. Grissom sensed his uneasiness and had to admit to himself that even he was apprehensive. After all, there was no telling what was on this video. It could contain anything from a taunting message to the brutal murder of Stan Morrison.

He pressed play and sat for a few seconds in expectation, waiting to see what would happen. Finally, Levi Prosper appeared on screen. He was seated at his desk, dressed impeccably in a black suit and tie. He portrayed the same self-confident air that he had possessed a month ago as he leaned back slightly in his chair and began to speak.

"Mr. Grissom, I am sorry that I could not meet you and Mr. Stokes in person. No doubt you have some questions for me. I apologize that I couldn't be there to answer them personally, but I hope that this tape will clear some things up for you."

"I know you're investigating the disappearance of someone and in your pursuit of the suspect, who is also missing, you have landed on my doorstep once again. I use the term 'suspect' lightly because you will soon learn who the true victims are. So who is it that you're searching for? Stan Morrison? Max Bridgeford? Laura Alcott? Paul Brooks? Evan Harris? Jackie Travers? Kenneth Bowlin? I suppose it doesn't really matter. I know where they all are and I know why they have been taken. It is because they have been found guilty and just like Thomas Sanford, they will pay for their crimes."

Nick's breath caught in his throat. Was Levi telling the truth? Could all those people really be missing? The magnitude of their case had just increased exponentially. He stole a glance at his boss and noticed how intently Grissom was staring at the screen, taking in every word Prosper uttered.

"Why have these people been found guilty? I know a man such as yourself needs an explanation and I'll be happy to provide you with the details of their crimes. Let's start with Stan Morrison. He got into a dispute with his best friend and ended up killing George Parsons two months before he was supposed to be married to Rae Lynn. Stan, with that mighty temper of his, looked his friend in the eye and pulled the trigger. He should be in jail yet he walks free and Rae Lynn, who should be embarking on a life of wedded bliss, is left alone to pick up the shattered pieces of her life. Tell me, is that fair?"

Levi shifted in his chair and leaned forward, placing his arms on the desk. "William Belanger co-owned an auto repair warehouse with Max Bridgford. It was quite a lucrative business and Max decided that he no longer wanted to be just a partner. Will had a few habits, namely drinking and gambling, that Max exploited to his own advantage. One night, Max invited Will to join him in a friendly game of poker. After getting Will sufficiently drunk, he got his partner to bet his half of the company. Max won the game and made his partner sign over his half of the business that night. Will lost everything because his partner had succumbed to the sin of greed. Tell me, is that fair?"

"Martin and Laura Alcott have been married for seven years. They have two children. Matthew is four and Allison is six. One day, Laura decides that she's had enough and leaves Martin, taking the children. Believe me when I say that the divorce is messy. Laura takes the stand and makes all these claims against Martin, saying that he's abusive and an unfit parent. She pulls out all the stops, painting herself as the picture perfect victim. Martin, a decent, hardworking man, is stripped of his parental rights and now is suddenly unable to see the children he so dearly loves. Tell me, is that fair?"

Levi pushed his chair back and took up position in front of his desk. He sat on the edge and folded his arms across his chest with an air of angry determination. His eyes never wavered as they stared straight ahead into the camera. The amount of emotion in his voice increased as he continued to state his case.

"Denise Dayton scheduled a routine surgery for her father Norman. Everything should have gone smoothly, but it didn't and Norman died. No reasonable explanation for her father's death could be given by the surgeon, Dr. Paul Brooks, so she filed a malpractice claim. Denise is poor and couldn't afford the best attorney and the hospital's legal defense was too good. Needless to say, she lost her case. Not to mention thousands of dollars and her beloved father. Tell me, is that fair?"

"Maggie Hawkins believed that Evan Harris was a friend until the night he raped her. Her life fell apart. Here was someone who was supposed to be her friend and he violated her. She was too afraid to go to the police. Too ashamed of what people would say if they found out what had happened. What kind of world do we live in that makes the victim of crimes such as these feel guilty and afraid to go for help? So this man, this vile creature, continues to plague her in reality and in her dreams. Tell me, is that fair?"

Levi began to pace back and forth, all the while maintaining eye contact with the camera. He seemed to be staring right into Grissom's eyes as he spoke. "Quentin Bowlin finally felt that he had found the woman he wanted to share the rest of his life with in his girlfriend, Jackie Travers. The night that he planned to propose to her, she ran off with Quentin's brother Kenneth. He swooped in with his good looks and smooth talk and swayed the heart of the woman Quentin loved. He lost the one thing he had going for him because of his brother. Imagine the betrayal he felt. Imagine the sorrow. Tell me, is that fair?"

Throughout his narration, Levi's voice had changed, becoming all the more deadly. Under his cool exterior, it was obvious that a raging fire was burning. He paused for a moment to collect himself before continuing. "When I found these people, they were lost and without a purpose. I gave them one."

"My people, those you would dare to call 'suspects', have suffered so much. I saw their pain. I have felt their pain. I have lived it. Their pain is my pain. I did not want them to suffer alone like I did. Instead, I gathered them under my wing with the plan to bring them to a place where they can receive healing. I am giving their suffering and pain a voice. It is only by punishing those who have caused them such unjust pain that they can truly heal. People who have no regard for others, who torment them, who cause others pain for sport, must be punished. Our world is dark and cruel, but we can make it better by ridding it of those who are evil. This is my desire, and it is my hope that others will see what we have done and follow in our footsteps. This is not just about the pain of a few people. We want the same thing for everyone who has ever been denied justice. Is that too much to ask?"

"There is so much violence and cruelty in the world, Mr. Grissom. You of all people should know that given what you do. You're faced with crime on a daily basis. Though Mr. Stokes may take pleasure in throwing the occasional bad guy behind bars, there are many who escape their just desserts. Injustice takes place all around us and the guilty go free. No one punishes them. For some reason, the law cannot do it. Surely, you understand. I am not much different than you. Our goals are the same. Bad people should be punished for their crimes and I will see to it that they will be punished. If they weren't, chaos would reign supreme with each man doing as he saw fit in his own eyes."

Levi spoke with such a passion that it was abundantly clear to Grissom that they were not dealing the average criminal. This man was an ideologist who clearly believed that what he was doing was right and could change the world. That made him all the more dangerous because he had carefully laid plans and he had surrounded himself with people who had fallen for his beliefs hook, line, and sinker. No doubt they would be willing to lay it all on the line for Levi.

"Let me leave you with these last few words." he said. "I prefer to think of them as a caution rather than a warning. Do not try to stop me. You cannot. The wheels of Fate are turning and Justice will not be thwarted. Not even by you."

The screen went dark and the two men sat in silence, absorbing the words they had just heard.

"Do you think that he's telling the truth? Are all those people missing? That's thirteen people if you include the suspects." Nick said.

"Seventeen. I'm assuming that Allison and Matthew Alcott are also missing. Levi Prosper's gone as well and I'm confident that Nathan Sanford is with them all." Grissom replied as he continued to stare at the screen where Levi's face had just been.

"That's unbelievable." Nick whispered breathlessly. "All those people. Gone just like that because of one man."

Suddenly exhausted, Grissom placed his head in his hand. "And it's going to be a massacre if we don't find them soon."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Given the grand scope of the case, Grissom had pulled Warrick, Sara, and Catherine off their current assignments in order to assist him. He had gathered his team around him and was issuing orders like a general.

"Okay, here's the situation. We potentially have seventeen missing people. What I need for you to do is verify that all of the people Prosper mentioned in his video are in fact missing. Whatever cases you're working on now can be passed on to Days or the Swing shift. This case is a top priority."

As one, the team nodded in understanding and Grissom pressed on. "I want you to investigate the disappearances of the both victim and suspect. There has to be some clue left behind as to where they went. I want you to find it. It is essential that we find them or we will be processing seven dead bodies some time in the very near future. While Prosper did not give us a specific time when these murders would take place, we have to assume that they will happen soon otherwise he would not have risked having his people grab them."

"What is this, Grissom? Some kind of wacky cult?" Warrick asked in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the situation.

"Not a cult per say, but it does possess many cult-like characteristics. This man, Prosper, has manipulated the pain these people are going through in order to accomplish his own goal and he made them believe they could truly find healing by taking matters into their own hands. It's part of his grand desire to rid the world of injustice." Grissom said with a wave of his hand.

"So he's planning to do that by turning these people into murderers? That's not justice. That's vigilantism." Sara said.

"It's more than that. He's given these people a purpose. Do not confuse this with violence for violence's sake. They most likely honestly believe in his desire to make the world a better place. He's an intelligent guy. He knows exactly what he's doing and what to say in order to get people to do what he wants. These people were in a vulnerable place when he encountered them and he promised to give them the healing they needed. He promised to give them the justice they had been denied and the opportunity to punish the person or persons responsible for their pain. But he also made them a part of something larger than themselves. They're not seeking personal justice alone. They want the same thing for everyone. He's created his own ideology - something for them to believe in. That makes Prosper and his followers all the more dangerous." Grissom told them.

"We're going to break this up into smaller parts because time is of the essence." Grissom said as he began to hand out his orders.

He turned to Sara and said, "I want you to investigate the disappearances of Rae Lynn Michaels and Stan Morrison. Nick and I have done preliminary work on it, but dig deeper. We might have missed something. I also want you to look into the disappearances of Maggie Hawkins and Evan Harris."

"You got it." Sara nodded and took off down the hall.

Grissom focused his attention on Warrick. "I want you to investigate the disappearances of William Belanger and Max Bridgford. I also want you to look into the disappearances of the Quentin Bowlin, Kenneth Bowlin, and Jackie Travers. Make sure that they're really missing and that this isn't just some effort on Levi's part to distract us."

"I'm on it." Warrick said and departed.

"Catherine, look into the disappearance of all four of the Alcotts. I'm assuming that the children will be missing as well, but I need you to verify that. Also check out Denise Dayton and Paul Brooks." Grissom told her.

Catherine made as if to respond when Nick cut her off. "What about me? What am I supposed to do? You just assigned all the missing persons case and left me with nothing."

Grissom's eyes flickered to Nick, his annoyance at being interrupted when handing out assignments blatantly obvious. "You're going to assist me in searching Prosper's background."

"You just said that time was of the essence. If that's true, then I should be out there working one of the missing persons cases. Everybody's working two. Let me help ease the load." Nick said eagerly. This was the first time in a month that he had dared to speak up for himself, but he felt that he'd risk it. The case was too important.

"Researching Prosper may give us insight into who he is, his motivations, and where he might be. It's an important job and I would like your assistance." Grissom told him in a cool tone.

"Yeah, but - " Nick started.

Grissom held up a hand. "No. You're backing me up and that's my final answer. Now go talk to Brass about getting a warrant for Prosper's home and office. There should be no trouble getting one this time."

Grissom looked away, a clear sign that Nick was dismissed. Though clearly unsatisfied, the younger man turned to leave without another word.

Catherine had watched this whole exchange with wide-eyed concern. Although Grissom and Nick's relationship could never have been described as close, this exchange was abnormal even for them. This wasn't some stress-related argument that was tied to the enormity of the case. No, there was a deeper issue at work here. Grissom had deliberately kept Nick from taking on an aspect of the case all by himself. It was almost as if Grissom didn't trust him.

As she stopped to think about it, she thought that things had seemed a bit strained between them for the past few weeks. Hadn't Grissom been working a lot of cases with Nick recently? And if Grissom wasn't working with Nick, then she was. Not that she minded of course as she very much enjoyed working with Nick, but it did seem a bit odd. When was the last time Nick had worked a case with Warrick or Sara? If memory served her correctly, it had to have been over a month ago.

A month ago. Before the death of Kristy Hopkins. The sudden realization hit her hard and everything started to make sense to her. While the situation was over and done with in the minds of everyone else, it appeared that this was not the case for Grissom.

"Do you have a question about the assignment I just gave you?" he asked abruptly, rounding on her suddenly and eyeing her critically.

"No." Catherine answered not feeling intimidated by his rudeness in the slightest. "I was just thinking that maybe Nick should be working one of the missing persons cases. We're tapped out, Gil. You've got three people working four crime scenes each. We could use the extra pair of hands."

"Nick's working with me. I need his help." Grissom said flatly.

"You mean you want to keep an eye on him. A lesser person might just think that your personal issues with him were clouding your ability to do your job." Catherine responded carefully. She wanted him to know that she knew what was going on between them without actually accusing him of anything.

Grissom was not about to be goaded into a fight about Nick or the way he had assigned tasks. "I tell Nick what to do. That's my right as his supervisor. I'm yours too. Now get moving, Catherine."

She watched as Grissom stalked off in the same direction Nick had gone. For a split second, Catherine considered going after him and forcing him to discuss his treatment of Nick, but the clock was ticking. Now wasn't the time. There were people who needed to be found.

* * *

Obtaining a search warrant was much easier the second time around given that Prosper had confessed to being involved in the kidnaping of several individuals. Grissom and Nick made their way back to his office with Brass in tow. While Brass interrogated a distraught Jill, the CSIs searched Prosper's office.

Throughout his search, Nick stole glances at Grissom. He could sense that his superior was doing his best to ignore him. He sighed inwardly and chastised himself for speaking out against Grissom's assignment for him. Though his intentions had been honorable, it seemed that opening his mouth had only served to tick Grissom off even more if indeed that was possible.

The amount of frustration he had been feeling for the past month was growing exponentially with every passing minute. Nothing he seemed to be doing was working. Every time he opened his mouth, Nick could tell he was annoying Grissom. It didn't matter what he said or did. Everything annoyed Grissom. There's nothing quite like continually working with someone who has made it painfully obvious that the last person they wanted to be with was you.

Not for the first time, Nick wondered what was going through his supervisor's mind when Grissom looked at him. Was it just a flurry of raging emotions? Did a series of angry comments run through his mind that he only just managed to refrain from actually speaking? Or was it something deeper? Something that even Grissom wasn't able to describe?

Nick had always been very personable and well-liked. These winning qualities had just come naturally to him, but Grissom had never really been won over by them. He certainly was not the first person to not succumb to Nick's Southern Charm and Charisma, and while Nick was not the kind of person who had a great need to be liked by everyone, Grissom's standoffishness bothered him greatly. Nick had wanted to impress him and to earn his respect, but it was blatantly obvious right from the start that these were not things easily won - no matter how charming you might be.

So he had buckled down in an effort to prove himself a good CSI and worthy of the respect and admiration of the Great Gil Grissom. It was slow-going, but he felt that he had made some progress. After all, he was promoted to CSI Level Three before Warrick. That was no small feat. However, all that was gone now. Every time he looked into Grissom's eyes, Nick could glimpse the deep-rooted disappoint and anger in them and it chipped away at his confidence.

Maybe Grissom was right. Maybe he wasn't a good CSI. Maybe he wasn't smart enough. Maybe he was too emotional. Maybe he was just a screw up who only avoided a prison sentence through sheer luck.

Nick sighed and shook those thoughts away.

'_C'mon, Stokes. No more pity party. Just focus on the task at hand.'_ he told himself.

"Hey fellas. The secretary swears up and down that she doesn't know where the good doctor is and denies knowing anything about what he was planning to do." Brass said, hovering near the entrance of the office.

"Do you believe her?" Nick asked.

"Call me crazy, but yeah, I do." Brass admitted. "You, uh, find any more freaky videotape confessions?"

Grissom shook his head. "No. I found the patient files that belong to our suspects. They're worth taking a look at. I'd like to know just what kind of people we're dealing with. As for information on Prosper himself, I'm beginning to think that our time would be better spent searching his home."

"Have warrant, will travel." Brass smiled. "Let's head out."

* * *

Grissom and Nick began their search of Levi's house methodically, starting with the first floor. They soon discovered what a cold, impersonal house it was. There were no photos of family or friends sitting around. Nothing to indicate a connection with any other person, which was something that struck Nick as odd. After all, Levi was a psychologist. Part of his job was to connect with people thereby making them feel comfortable enough to share their deepest, darkest secrets with him. Of course, psychologists were only human. They had their share of "issues" as well and it was evident in more ways than one that Prosper had plenty.

Nick wandered into the study and as he peered around the room, his eyes fell on an antiquated trunk. He crouched down and finding it unlocked, raised the lid. Inside, he found an assortment of papers and a photo album. He picked the album up and flipped through it. The pictures had to have been taken at least thirty years ago and despite the smiles, the family in them did not appear to be a very happy one.

Setting the album aside, he picked up the item that had been directly underneath it. It was a tattered book and as he began to flip through the pages, he soon discovered that it wasn't just any book. It was a journal. As he read bits and pieces, he could feel excitement begin to build inside of him. Now here was something worth finding.

"Hey Grissom! I think I'm starting to figure out the mind of our suspect." Nick called out, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

Gil paused from his work and glanced over to where Nick was crouching. "How so?"

Nick held the journal aloft for Grissom to see and gave a small smile. "Dr. Prosper's got Daddy issues."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Per Grissom's instructions, Nick had brought the entire trunk back to the lab with him. It seemed to contain the only items of a true personal and private nature in Prosper's house. Besides the journal, there contained a few photo albums and some newspapers tinged yellow with age.

With great care, Nick removed the contents of the trunk and placed them on one side of the layout table. He pulled up a stool and laid the journal in front of him and began to read.

Nick had been surprised when Grissom asked him to start sorting through the items while he checked in with the rest of the team. That seemed to show quite a bit of confidence in his abilities, which was something that he found encouraging. Perhaps Grissom was starting to come around. Perhaps finding the trunk had raised his supervisor's opinion of him.

That was before he had received his first phone call.

"Make sure you catalog every piece of evidence. It's all vital to our case and we don't want to lose anything." Grissom had said.

"It's already been done." Nick had replied as politely as he could.

Then he got the second call.

"Make sure you take detailed notes of everything you read. What appears to be insignificant may actually be incredibly important." Grissom had advised.

"I understand. I have already started doing so." Nick smiled through the phone, fighting the urge to tell Grissom that he knew how to do his job.

When his cell rang for the third time, Nick's patience was running a bit thin. How did Grissom expect him to get anything done if he kept calling every five minutes?

"Yeah?" he answered, trying to keep his tone in check.

"I wanted to let you know that we've confirmed that everyone Prosper said was missing is actually missing. That's seventeen people." Grissom told him.

Nick let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Seventeen people. The implications were staggering.

"Are you making any headway into the journal?" Grissom asked.

"I've managed to get through the first couple of pages." Nick answered.

"Is that all? What have you been doing?" Grissom sounded annoyed. No surprise there.

"I keep getting interrupted." Nick replied truthfully, hoping that Grissom would take the hint.

He didn't. "You need to stay focused. I don't need to tell you how important this case is. A lot of lives are at stake. I'll be back at the lab soon to check on your progress."

The line went dead before Nick had the chance to respond. He sighed miserably and closed his cell phone with a snap. Burying himself in his work, he soon got caught up in the eloquent words Levi had written. He furiously scribbled notes down, adding his own thoughts along with the information he had uncovered.

Nick heard the sound of approaching feet and looked up to see Grissom entering the room.

"Well? Have you uncovered anything interesting?" he asked, coming around the table to peer at Nick's work.

"Yeah, there's a load of interesting and insightful things in this book." Nick tapped on the open book. "He wrote a detailed account of parts his childhood in the first twenty pages or so before he starts diving into his philosophy on life."

Grissom reached behind him and pulled up a stool so he could sit next to Nick. "Proceed." he said with a wave of his hand.

Nick shifted on his stool so that he was facing his supervisor and began to relate his findings. "Levi Prosper was born in 1963 to Reuben and Lorraine Prosper. He was an only child. He says a few things about his earlier childhood, but then he fast forwards about ten years and that's when it gets interesting. If we can trust what he wrote, Reuben was an abusive alcoholic and he had a raging temper. Not surprisingly, Levi's dad was abusive towards his mother."

"Now given the time when this happened, people weren't big on reporting cases of spouse abuse. Of course, it's not like things have changed that much since then. The wives are just too scared for their lives and the lives of their children. That was the case for Lorraine. Levi makes an effort to say how his mother tried to protect him from his father when he was young, but in doing so, she suffered greatly." Nick told his boss.

"When he got older, the roles reversed. Levi tried to protect his mother and spare her the same pain she had spared him when he was younger. Things were very bad. Then one day, his father disappeared." Nick gave Grissom a knowing look.

"He disappeared?" Grissom repeated.

"Yeah, I found this newspaper article in the trunk. Levi saved it." Nick grabbed the clipping and handed it to Grissom. "From what I gathered, there were no leads in his disappearance and no hard evidence to prove foul play."

Grissom let his eyes skim quickly through the article before asking, "What did Levi have to say about his father's disappearance?"

Nick folded his arms across his chest. "While he never comes out directly and says that he killed his father, I think you could safely interpret some of the sections as a confession of sorts. In no way is he sorry that his father is gone and at one point, he says that his father got what he deserved. In fact, he starts to sound a little bit like the way he sounded in that videotape."

Grissom pondered this thoughtfully. "I think this sheds some light on why Nathan Sanford was treated differently than the others. Levi saw himself in Nathan - saw Nathan enduring the same kind of suffering. While Nathan's suffering was more emotional than physical, it still produced the same effect. Nathan was craving the attention of a father figure and Levi was more than willing to fill the role. Nathan was vulnerable, susceptible to manipulation, and Levi got Nathan to do to Thomas what he did to Reuben. One father was traded for another. Remember, Nathan did say that he had found his true father. I think we can now safely assume that he meant Prosper."

"So one father abuses his son, who in turn gets his revenge by killing him. Though Levi would probably say that he was just dealing justice upon the guilty." Nick said as he shook his head in amazement. "The son then grows up and convinces another son to get revenge on his father by killing him."

The realization of the true meaning behind his words struck Nick and he raised his eyes to meet Grissom's. "Levi's still fighting the ghost of his father. What he's doing now, the people whose lives he's threatening, it's all just to get revenge on his father. He's still the same little boy."

"The sins the father commits against his son have disastrous and far-reaching consequences." Grissom almost whispered. "A father is supposed to impart wisdom to his son and provide him with protection, but this is not what Reuben Prosper or Thomas Sanford did for their sons. They were physically and emotionally abusive and their ill treatment of their sons lead those who they should have been taking care of into danger - not danger from an outside source, but from a danger within. They became killers."

Grissom's words echoed in Nick's mind. What must it be like to have a father who never uttered a kind word to you? Who never showed any other emotion but anger? Who never paid you any notice except to look on you with disapproval? How could some fathers be so cruel? Did they not know the immense power they had over the development of their children? His own father had taught him from a very early age the difference between right and wrong and had firmly implanted ethical values in his mind. Those were the kinds of things that had made him who he was today and he owed that to his father. Though he was not necessarily one to show overt displays of emotion, Nick never doubted for a moment that his father loved him and would have done anything to keep him safe.

He gave a small sigh. "Well, I think we have a better understanding of our suspect. You want me to see if I can lend a hand in one of the missing persons cases? I'm sure there's still plenty more to do."

Nick looked at Grissom expectantly, hoping that after he had accomplished the job he had been assigned, he would be allowed to get his hands dirty alongside his teammates.

Grissom looked up at him sharply, a flicker of annoyance passing across his face. "No. The shift's almost over and there's no real reason for you to stay. Go on home. I'm quite confident that the others have everything under control and don't need assistance from you."

With that, Grissom stood up and walked briskly out of the room, leaving Nick alone.

* * *

Catherine walked through the lab, her head spinning with thoughts about their current case. She'd been digging into the marriage between Martin and Laura Alcott. Talk about a messy divorce. She had thought that her own tumultuous relationship with Eddie had been bad enough, but she knew that Eddie would not be capable of doing anything like what Martin had done. He would never snatch Lindsey from her or hurt her. Eddie Willows may be a lot of things, but he wasn't a kidnapper.

Of course, Martin had been manipulated by Levi Prosper. He had been a good man, whose mind had been twisted by the words of a disturbed individual intent on wreaking his own special brand of havoc. Furthermore, it wasn't as if Laura was completely innocent in all this. After all, she was the one who had left. She was the one who had misrepresented Martin in court and taken his children from him thereby giving the unfortunate man a reason to hate her.

She sighed and felt a dull ache in her heart. Those poor children. What must they be going through? Did they understand at all what was happening or were they confused by the strange actions of their father? Were they scared? Were they hurt?

As she walked past the locker room, Catherine spotted Nick sitting on a bench, staring at the metal locker in front of him. His dejected countenance struck her and made her stop dead in her tracks. She could tell he was in need of some comfort.

"Hey Nicky. How's it going?" Catherine asked as she took a seat next to the younger man.

"It's okay." Nick nodded. He inclined his head slightly so he could look at Catherine and plastered one of those famous grins on his face.

The look she was giving him made it clear that she did not believe him despite his efforts to convince her otherwise. Nick had never really been good at hiding his emotions. He tended to be an open book in that regard. It was a quality that Catherine liked very much because it kept Nick honest, and after dealing day in and day out with liars, his sincerity was refreshing.

"I've had better days." he admitted with a slightly smaller, yet more genuine smile.

"Things rough with Grissom?" the redhead asked bluntly. She had perceived the tension between them and was grateful for this chance to talk about it with Nick.

"How'd you know?" The Texan seemed genuinely surprised, giving her that look of child-like wonder she loved so much.

"It's kinda hard to miss. I've sensed that things haven't been right since Kristy." Catherine informed him, giving him a sympathetic look.

He sighed at this. Of course everyone had to know. It was probably hot office gossip. Nick hated to think that the lab was using his precarious relationship with Grissom as some form of cheap entertainment.

"So it's the talk of the break room? Everyone talking about how much Grissom is mad at me?" Nick asked bitterly.

"No, I didn't say that. I just said that I noticed that things haven't been right." Catherine corrected him lightly.

"He's keeping a close eye on me." Nick said as he resumed staring at the locker in front of him. "Wants to make sure I'm doing my job right and not making any mistakes. He's the boss. That's his right."

Catherine wasn't surprised to hear Nick support Grissom's behavior. Far be it for the man to bad-mouth the boss to another co-worker. That just wasn't in his nature. She also figured that, deep down, Nick must feel that he deserved the treatment he was receiving from Grissom.

"That must be rough." Catherine laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Nick shrugged. "Just trying to do my best and stay out of trouble."

"Have you talked to him about it?" she inquired though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Nick and Grissom weren't big on communicating about their relationship.

"What am I supposed to say, Catherine? I've tried to say that I'm sorry. He doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to hear anything that I've got to say. He barely tolerates working with me and he won't let me out of his sight for more than five minutes. It's not getting any better and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know how to make things right." Nick lowered his head to stare at his hands.

Catherine felt a twinge of pity for the man. He looked so small - like a little child who had been punished for doing something he hadn't realized was naughty. She wanted to give him a hug and tell him that everything would be fine, but she knew that he wouldn't appreciate that.

Instead, she settled for squeezing his hand. "He has faith in you. I know he does. Right now's just a difficult time. He'll get over it."

"Yeah. I know. Just takes time." Nick said quietly in an unconvincing tone.

Catherine could tell that Nick didn't believe a word she had said and it saddened her. Grissom's constant berating and mistrust had stripped this once-confident man of his faith in himself. She hated seeing what the rift between supervisor and employee was doing to both men. It could not continue. She wasn't going to let it.

"I'm gonna head home now. Grissom's orders." Nick told her as he stood up to leave. He turned to her and gave her a sad smile that nearly broke her heart.

She watched him walk away and was filled with a determination to do something. She had sat on the sidelines long enough, watching two men that she cared deeply about skate around the issue. If Nick didn't feel confident enough to speak up for himself, it was high time someone interceded for him and she was just the person for the job. It was time to "put her oar in" and confront Grissom.

Striding purposefully down the hall, she spotted Grissom just outside of his office talking to Warrick.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you for a moment." Catherine said brusquely.

Not giving him a chance to respond, Catherine grabbed Grissom's arm and pulled him into his office. She shut the door tightly behind them before turning to face the scientist.

"What is it, Catherine? I'm in the middle of a big case. We both are as a matter of fact." Gil sighed as he pulled his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes.

"The case can wait. We've got a more pressing issue to deal with." The redhead placed her hands on her slender hips and fixed him with a piercing gaze.

"And what is that?" Grissom asked unenthusiastically.

"The way you're treating Nick." Catherine said bluntly. "Frankly, Gil, I'm appalled at your behavior. You're acting like some petty teenager with a grudge."

"What are you talking about?" Grissom asked, starting to get annoyed. He did not feel like talking about Nick right now. Especially not with Nick's most loyal advocate.

"You're treating Nicky like crap, berating him every chance you get. You're constantly looking over his shoulder and monitoring his work. He's not some little kid! He's a grown man who knows how to do his job and as a matter of fact, he does it very well!" Catherine snapped.

"Nick has proven himself unable to make wise choices in certain aspects of his personal life and those choices have had negative ramifications on his professional life. He has to prove himself trustworthy again." Grissom said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Trustworthy? How can you say that? He didn't break any laws or compromise any cases! He was attracted to Kristy and succumbed to that attraction in a moment of passion! He's just like any other man!" Catherine hissed.

"That woman was a prostitute! Nick's a CSI! They were on opposite sides of the law! He should have known better than to get involved with a woman like that!" Grissom spat angrily.

"He didn't pay to have sex with her! He genuinely cared about her! He was trying to help her get out of that lifestyle - to make a change!" Catherine crossed her arms over her chest, matching Grissom's angry stance.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Catherine. Nick put himself in a compromising situation, one which called into question his credibility and the credibility of the lab." Grissom told her tersely.

"Is that all you care about? How the lab looks? You sound like Ecklie." Catherine replied angrily.

Grissom did not care for this comparison. He dropped his voice to a quiet, more deadly level. "The life of a public servant is different than a normal person's life. You know that, Catherine. People view us differently and they question our actions both on and off the clock. That's why we have to be careful. Nick nearly lost everything because of that woman. It doesn't matter if it was consensual or a genuine relationship. All people focus on is the law enforcement guy who slept with that hooker. And to top it all off, he doesn't seem to care."

It was painfully obvious that Catherine was not making any headway with Grissom. He was being too stubborn, refusing to listen to reason. She tried a different tactic, hoping to appeal to his responsibilities as a supervisor.

"The only thing he cares about is making things right with you. The strain between the two of you is killing him. Gil, you're the boss. Nick looks to you for guidance and wisdom. You need to help him, not kick him while he's down. He needs you right now. The whole situation with Kristy has been very upsetting to him. Help him. Please." She said quietly, pleading with her eyes.

"What he needs is reprimanding. He nearly got himself arrested because of his emotional attachment to that woman. He put himself in a precarious situation that nearly cost him his career. He gets too attached to people and that affects his ability to think clearly. He's going to get himself in serious trouble if he's not more careful. Nick has so much potential but refuses to live up to it because he lets himself be ruled by his emotions. It's not only that. He's far too eager. He needs a pat on the back all the time and while maybe you enjoy doing that, I can't spend my time making sure Nick feels good about himself. I can't be holding his hand all the time. He needs to grow up or find a different job. I'm not paid to be Nick's babysitter." Grissom responded in a tone that Catherine was unaccustomed to hearing.

She wasn't getting through to him. He just wasn't listening. She could shout at him until she was blue in the face and he still wouldn't hear her. Not really. She had never seen him this way, so completely blinded, and wondered if there was not more to his anger than even Gil realized.

Doubting whether or not it would do any good, she gave him a warning. "Gil, if you don't do something about this now, things are going to spiral out of control. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it."

"Noted." Grissom replied cooly. "Is that all, Catherine?"

Without giving her a chance to respond, he swept past her, leaving Catherine to her own tumultuous thoughts.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Nick sighed as he made his way through his front door, his mind still lingering over the conversation he had just had with Catherine. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should say something to Grissom. But say what? He could only imagine how that conversation would go.

'_Hey Grissom! Stop being so mean to me! You're hurting my feelings!'_

He shook the words from his mind. They sounded so juvenile. He didn't want to come across as some emotional guy who was in a fragile state. Grissom wouldn't respond well to that. No, he'd have to be straightforward with him. Honest and open. But would Grissom even allow him to speak his mind? He had tried early on to talk to him but had been rebuffed. Who's to say that wouldn't happen again? He wasn't sure if he could take it if it did.

No, perhaps it was better to leave things as they were. The situation was bound to resolve itself. It had to. Grissom couldn't stay mad forever, could he? Once again, he was filled with the sting of uncertainty - torn between action and inaction. Things were never simple when it came with his relationship with Grissom. His interactions with his other coworkers just came so natural and easy. Nothing stressful about it. With Grissom, things were, well, complicated. It had always had been so.

Nick sighed and massaged his forehead. He could feel the beginnings of a headache getting ready to hit him. That was just what he needed right now. Physical pain to keep his misery company.

He walked over to the counter where he stored his Tylenol. Grabbing the bottle, he popped the cap and tapped two pills into his hand. He filled a glass of water and quickly downed them. Standing at his sink, he peered outside. He noticed, that despite the late hour, the Redmans appeared to still be up. There was a light on in their house. He looked down again as he refilled his glass of water.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the night and Nick looked up to see the light in the Redmans' house go out. His ears were then greeted with the sound of breaking glass followed by a gun shot. Nick let the glass fall into the sink with a clatter and ran towards his door, pausing long enough to grab his spare gun.

He raced next door and was about to pound on it when he noticed that it was ajar. He pushed it open and held his gun aloft. He wasn't sure if he should announce his presence or not. He decided to remain quiet and allow himself the opportunity to surprise the person who had attacked the Redmans. Moving stealth-like, he kept his eyes open for any sign of movement. The house was pitch black but he wasn't about to risk turning on a light.

Before he could react, strong arms jerked him backwards and slammed him against the wall. The sudden attack made him lose his grip on his gun and it went flying through the air, landing a few feet away. He tried to reach behind him in an attempt to ward off his attacker, but was unable to get a good grasp on him. His attacker reared back to slam him against the wall again, but this time Nick had his arms in front of him and when he hit the wall again, he pushed off the wall with all his might, making his attacker stumble backwards and fall to the floor.

Nick landed on top of his attacker with a thud and scrambled to get to his feet. He made a dash for his gun and managed to get a few steps away when a hand grabbed a hold of his foot, gave a sharp yank, and brought him down again. Nick kicked back with his free foot and was rewarded with a cry of pain from man attacking him.

Once again, Nick made an effort get to his feet but his attacker lunged for him and used his weight to keep Nick laying flat on his stomach on the ground. Nick still attempted to reach for his gun, an action which was made more difficult by the fact that one of his arms had been pinned to his side by his attacker's knee, but his fingertips were only able to brush the barrel.

The attacker grabbed a hand of Nick's hair and slammed his head into the floor as hard as he could. Stars swam before him, but Nick did not stop moving. He tried to twist around so he could face the man, but the man wasn't about to let him achieve his goal. The attacker repeated the action of slamming the CSI's head into the floor until Nick's body finally stopped moving, a loss of consciousness overtaking him. Then the man stood up, walked over to Nick's gun, and picked it up.

Stepping over the body of the unconscious CSI, the man moved to the back of the house where his partner was waiting, guarding the still forms of Brad and Patricia Redman.

"Well?" Martin asked anxiously.

Will gave a dismissive wave. "The situation's taken care of. Call Levi and tell him we're on our way."

* * *

Nick woke dazed and with a splitting headache. What had happened? Why was he lying on the floor? And where was he anyway? This wasn't his floor. He had carpeting and this was wood. He winced in pain as he rolled over on his back, trying to remember where he was and why he was there.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. The scream. He had run over here because the Redmans were in trouble. They might still be in trouble, laying wounded in their home.

This thought forced Nick to his feet. He searched in vain for his gun before moving through the house. The house was no longer dark as the sun was up. He had no idea how long he had been laying there on the floor, but judging from the light outside, it had been a few hours. He saw no signs of movement. He saw no blood and he saw no bodies. The Redmans were gone. He was going to have to call it in.

After making the call, he went outside and sat on the front porch steps. His head was still pounding, but he thought it best to stay put until the police arrived. As Nick sat on the stoop, he began to consider the consequences of his actions. He suddenly wondered how he was going to explain himself. There was no other choice but to tell the truth. He heard screaming so he rushed inside his neighbors' house with his gun drawn and instead of saving the day, he ended up getting attacked and was left laying on the floor of his neighbors' house for hours. That was the unpleasant truth and it was all he had.

He exhaled laboriously and tapped his fingers on his knees, feeling his nerves start to get riled up. Grissom was not going to be happy with him. Neither would Brass. No doubt he was going to get a lecture about his actions from both of them. But seriously? What he was supposed to do? Let his neighbors fall victim to a crime without lifting a hand to help them? Never! That just wasn't who he was.

As it turned out, Nick didn't have long to wait. Brass arrived on the scene within a few minutes. Normally, he wouldn't have been the one to respond to a call such as this one, but since Nick was involved, he'd made an exception. The detective wanted to make sure the CSI was okay.

"Hey Nicky." Jim greeted wearily as the younger man stood up to meet him. "How you doing?"

Nick shuffled a bit and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking like a kid about to get reprimanded. "My head hurts, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Well, you'll need to get checked out to make sure you don't have a concussion or something." Brass told him and Nick nodded in understanding.

"Okay, Nick, start at the top." Brass said, pulling out his notebook. He kept his focus on the paper in his hand as a way of keeping his emotions in check.

Nick gave his account of the following night and Brass paid him the courtesy of only interrupting a few times to ask clarifying questions.

"So, this man attacked you and beat you until you lost consciousness." Brass repeated. "And what happened to your gun?"

Nick hesitated and dropped his eyes. "He took it. At least, I think he did. It was gone when I woke up."

Brass sighed heavily. When he spoke, his tone was harsher than he had intended it to be. "Do you know how lucky you are that this guy didn't kill you? Why didn't you call 911 before rushing over here?"

"It didn't even cross my mind. I just wanted to help them." Nick admitted truthfully.

Brass eyed the young man carefully, managing to range in the emotions that were battling inside of him. "Listen, Nick, I know you're a brave guy. You want to help people, take care of them. It makes you passionate about your job and it's a quality that I really admire in you, but if you're not careful, it's going to get you into trouble. You got lucky again this time, but sooner or later, that luck's going to run out."

The sound of a car door slamming interrupted Brass' speech. Both men turned to see a fuming Gil Grissom stalking towards them. Nick braced himself for the onslaught of anger that Grissom seemed about to heap on him, but instead, he got the cold shoulder. Grissom would not meet Nick's eyes and focused his attention solely on Brass.

"Well?" Grissom demanded of the detective.

Brass shot Nick a look before relating the younger man's story to Grissom. Very rarely had Brass seen Grissom this angry and though he was still a touch angry at Nick himself, those feelings were rapidly being replaced with sympathy. Nick was in for a rough haul with his supervisor.

When Brass had finished, Grissom jerked his head in Nick's direction. "Make sure he gets checked out, Brass."

Gil Grissom stalked away, his case swinging madly at his side. Nick's eyes followed him sadly. He hadn't said anything to him. Nothing. Didn't even shout at him. It was like he no longer even merited notice. Nick let his shoulders slump in unconscious defeat. Things had just gone from bad to worse and he had no idea how to make it better.

"C'mon, Nicky. You heard the man. Let's make sure your head's okay." Brass placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and lead Nick away.

* * *

Brass accompanied Nick to the hospital and sat with him for a few hours while he waited for the doctor to see him. Finally, Nick was admitted and after a few tests were performed, it was revealed that Nick had not suffered a concussion. Just a nasty bump on the head and a bruised ego.

Despite Brass' best efforts at swaying him, Nick went to the lab. Beside the fact that he was in the middle of a hot case, Nick wanted to know if Grissom had found anything at the Redmans' house. He was concerned about his neighbors. Who had attacked them? Where were they? Was Donna with them? Perhaps Grissom would be able to shed some light on the situation. Of course that was assuming Grissom would even speak to him.

Nick walked down the hall, his eyes searching for his boss as he passed by the various rooms. He found Grissom just as he was leaving Mandy, a paper clutched tightly in his hand.

When Grissom saw Nick, his annoyance was obvious. "What are you doing here, Nick? You should be at the hospital."

"I was. The doctor cleared me. I'm fine." Nick punctuated his statement with what he hoped was a convincing smile.

"You still shouldn't be here." Grissom swept pass Nick in an effort to end the conversation but Nick was not about to let him.

"I want to know what's going with the Redman case. You find anything?" Nick asked as he matched Grissom's long strides.

Without warning, Grissom halted in his tracks and whirled on Nick.

"Did I find anything?" he repeated in a low tone. He held the paper in his hand up. "Oh I found something. I found some very interesting fingerprints."

There was something in Grissom's tone that sent warning bells off in Nick's mind. This wasn't going to be good.

"Whose prints did you find?" Nick asked apprehensively. He could feel his heart start to pound with expectation.

Grissom remained silent, purposefully delaying his answer. He eyed Nick with such an intense look of anger mingled with a hint of disgust that the younger man had to fight the urge to recoil from it.

"Do you know who was in that house with you, Nick?" Grissom asked, knowing full well that he would not have an answer. "Martin Alcott. The disappearance of the Redmans is now linked to our current case. Your neighbor, Donna, is involved in our investigation, which means that you now have a personal connection to it. Therefore, I'm pulling you off the case."

"What? You can't do that! This case is huge and you need all the help you can get!" Nick protested, advancing on Grissom slightly.

"You're right. I do need help, but what you are providing is no help to me. You are rushing head first into danger without even thinking clearly. That kind of rash behavior can screw up a case and I don't have time to clean up another one of your messes." Grissom snapped. He spun on his heel and stalked away.

Nick watched Grissom's back as he retreated. He hung his head, his cheeks burning with shame at Grissom's words. Another one of his messes? The implication behind those words struck him to the core. For the past month, he had been trying to convince himself that things would get better between him and Grissom if he just buckled down and did his job to the best of his ability. Now he realized what a fool he had been. Things were not going to get better. It didn't matter what he did or what he said. The damage caused by his indiscretion with Kristy was irreparable. He could see that now.

But had he not tried repeatedly to make it up to Grissom? Hadn't he been repentant? Hadn't he done his best to put what had happened to Kristy behind him and move forward? Hadn't he put up with Grissom's crap with the best attitude he could muster? Yet Grissom continually rebuffed him. Grissom was the one who was still angry. Grissom was the one who could not move past what had happened. This strain between them was not Nick's fault. It was Grissom's since he was the one holding the grudge. If Grissom could not move past it, that was his problem.

Yes, it was Grissom's fault. So why was he continually beating himself up?

'_What more does he want from me?' _Nick asked himself furiously. _'Does he want me to crawl on my knees, following him around the lab and begging for his forgiveness? If that's what he wants, he won't get it! I'm tired of his crap. I'm tried of being humiliated on a daily basis and being treated like a child!'_

There was no doubt about it. Everyone had a limit and Nick Stokes had been pushed well past his. No longer would he be taking any heat from Grissom. No longer would he be Grissom's whipping boy. He had tried to take his reprimanding like a good boy, but he was done with that now. It had done no good. In fact, it only seemed to make things worse. It was time to take a more aggressive approach and deal with this situation head on. He'd be a man about it.

It was time to confront to Grissom.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Nick knocked on Grissom's door a bit harder than he had intended. His supervisor looked up from his papers and seeing who it was, gave a small frown.

"What do you want, Nick?" he said as he looked back down at his papers. "I'm not putting you back on the case if that's what you're here about."

The fact that Grissom wouldn't even pay him the courtesy of giving him his full attention frustrated Nick even further and so he responded a bit more forcefully than he would have otherwise. "I want to talk about the crap you've been giving me for the past month. You've done nothing but breathe down my neck and criticize me and my work. I'm tired of it, Grissom. I don't deserve that."

Grissom glanced up and said, "You feel you're being treated unfairly?"

"Yes! That's what I just said!" Nick folded his arms tightly across his chest.

"Perhaps you should lodge a formal complaint with Human Resources." Grissom quipped.

"No. What we need to do is talk." Nick wasn't going to let Grissom get away without saying anything for himself.

Grissom set his papers aside and folded his hands on his desk like some professor about to berate a truant student. He fixed Nick with a condescending gaze and adopted a tone to match it. "Okay, Nick. What shall we talk about? Your inability to keep your emotions in check? Your reckless disregard for your own personal safety? Your intense need to play the hero and rescue those you deem worth saving?"

"I don't have a need to play the hero!" Nick countered angrily. "I just want to help people!"

"Really? Why, then, did you rush into your neighbors' house the last night with no thought to the danger that you might encounter? You didn't call for backup. You just ran in there waving your gun around. A gun which you managed to lose. That's not the only instance either. You care so much about becoming the victim's champion that's it's ridiculous! Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't started wearing a cape!" Grissom's face was contorted with a mixture of anger and mockery.

Nick was momentarily stunned by the older man's cruelty which allowed Grissom to keep speaking his mind. "Tell me, if Donna comes knocking on your door, begging for help, will you risk it all to help her? After all, you do love those lost causes. Let's just hope that this time it will turn out better for your damsel in distress."

Grissom knew he was being ruthless in his words. He could hear a voice that oddly enough sounded like Catherine telling him that he should stop his reckless words, but he ignored it. For once, Gil Grissom was going to let himself be ruled by his emotions rather than his cool logic.

"You want me to say I'm sorry about the whole Kristy thing? Is that what you want from me?" Nick asked, throwing his hands up. "Fine! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for any of that to happen! I was trying to help her!"

"My point is proven." The trace of a smirk appeared on Grissom's face.

"There is no pleasing you! It doesn't matter what I do or how much I try! I'm not perfect, Grissom!" Nick snapped. Reason was giving way to anger and his next words came tumbling out of him.

"I'm not your Golden Boy, Warrick! He's your favorite, isn't he? When he gets someone killed, he's welcomed back like the Prodigal Son after a few days of being relieved of duty! He doesn't have to do jack squat to get back in your good graces!" Nick said, his voice rising.

"No one's more sorry for what happened than him! He made a mistake!" Grissom's voice matched Nick's in tone and pitch.

"So did I! Do I get forgiven? No! I've been busting my tail for the past month trying to make amends but you still treat me like crap!" Nick had now started shouting and gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke.

"Warrick left Holly at a crime scene when a cop was present. If the cop had not been there, I feel confident that Warrick would not have left Holly alone. It was unfortunate that the cop ended up leaving to respond to another call. You, however, consistently put yourself in a compromising situation by getting involved with that prostitute. After 'rescuing' her from her fight with Jack, you took her back to her place and knowing full well what was most likely going to happen, you willingly went into her house. You ended up sleeping with her and then wound up being a suspect in her murder! You showed no restraint! You let yourself be deluded by the lies she enticed you with! She knew exactly what you wanted to hear! You gave no thought to anything other than your immediate gratification and you brought shame on the entire lab!" Grissom brought his fist down hard upon his desk in order to drive his point home.

Nick immediately fell silent, knowing that if he opened his mouth right now he would say something that he'd end up regretting. His body was trembling with a silent rage. It infuriated him to hear Grissom refer to Kristy only as a prostitute. It infuriated him to think that Grissom believed his only reasons for wanting to help Kristy was so he could get into her bed. It was like he was nothing more than a stupid teenager incapable of thinking with anything other than his libido. If this was really what Grissom thought of him, perhaps he'd be better off someplace else.

Grissom looked down at his desk and angrily began shuffling papers. "Go. Just go, Nick. I don't want to see you anymore right now."

Without a word, Nick turned on his heel and stormed out of the office and out of the lab.

* * *

Nick was so completely overwhelmed by the variety of emotions coursing through his body that the drive home was a blur. He vaguely remembered getting into his SUV back at the lab and then he somehow miraculously ended up at his house. He considered himself lucky to have not caused any accidents given his reckless state.

He stormed through the front door and tossed his jacket on the ground. As he did this, he realized that he was still wearing his service piece. He'd left the lab in such a hurry that he hadn't remembered to remove it. He yanked it out of its holster and tossed it on the couch. Feeling anxious, he walked over to the fridge and searched for something to help soothe his nerves. He grabbed the last bottled iced tea and made his way into the living room.

Flopping down on his couch, he palmed the beverage in his hand and stared at it. Without really even being conscious of his decision to do so, Nick threw the bottle across the room and watched it smash against the opposite wall. It shattered into pieces and the liquid contents left a brown streak on the wall, but he didn't care. It felt good to do something destructive. In fact, he wished that he had another bottle to throw against the wall.

To say he was mad would be an understatement. He was completely blinded by his fury. He was furious at Grissom. Furious at the implications the man made. Did his supervisor not know him at all? Did he really think Nick was some grand-standing hero who was incapable of a rational thought? If that were true, why didn't Grissom just fire him and be done with it? Why keep him around if he was such a liability?

But he wasn't just mad at Grissom. He was mad at himself. He had been stupid to think that he could make Grissom talk to him. Had he really been expecting the man to apologize right there? Grissom would no sooner have done that than tell Nick he could have his job. Their relationship had never been one that you could define as "close." That wasn't about to change now. In fact, it was completely non-existent now.

He was also mad about the things he had said about Warrick. Warrick was his friend - more like a brother than a friend. It wasn't Warrick's fault that Grissom favored him. Warrick had never tried to kiss up to the boss or make Nick look bad in front of Grissom. He was just being himself and to be honest, Nick wasn't surprised that Grissom liked Warrick so much. He was a great guy, a great friend, and a hard worker. No, he could not blame Warrick for his bad relationship with Grissom. That wasn't fair. It just really hurt to think that the man he looked up to thought so little of him, and there was such a hopelessness in knowing that there was nothing he could do to change Grissom's mind.

Nick sighed and leaned his head back. Closing his eyes, he tried in vain to drive away the sound of his thoughts from his mind, but every time he shut down his own internal dialogue, he could hear his supervisor's harsh words echo in his head.

He needed a distraction, something to take his mind away from the past hour and a half. Television. Perhaps that would do it. Snapping his eyes wide open again, he leaned forward and grabbed the remote. As he held the remote in the air, finger poised over the power button, a warning bell went off in his head. Something wasn't right. He was suddenly struck with the intense feeling that he wasn't alone in his home.

Ever so quietly, he sat the remote down and stood up. He glanced around his living room for a sign of disturbance, but found none. He silently gave thanks for leaving the lab in a hurry and leaned over to grab his gun. Nick held the gun out in front of him. Perhaps he was overreacting, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was here and he wasn't about to be caught off-guard. After all, had someone not abducted his neighbors just last night? Nick would rather be safe than sorry.

Taking one step at a time, he moved stealth-like towards the hall. His heart pounded as his eyes scanned the back door and his worst fears were confirmed. One of the panes was broken - the one nearest the lock of the door, the blinds were bent at an awkward angle - no doubt by the person who had gained entry into his home, and the door was unlocked.

There was definitely someone here.

Nick stuck his head in the bathroom to make sure it was clear. There was no real place to hide in there anyway. Pressing his lips together tightly, he made his way to his bedroom and noticed immediately that his closet door was closed. He was fairly certain that he'd left the door open. Gripping the gun tightly in one hand, he reached forward to swing the door open.

A high-pitched scream ripped through the air and Nick jumped back, his heart pounding loudly. He pointed his gun at the figure cowering in his closet.

"Hands up!" he shouted.

The trembling figure complied and she stared at Nick with red, puffy eyes and a tear-stained face. It took him a few seconds to realize who she was.

"Donna? What are you doing in here? I could have shot you!" Nick was beside himself.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, stepping out of the closet. "You weren't home and I couldn't wait outside. I didn't want to be seen."

"So you broke into my house?" Nick asked, exasperated.

"I was scared and I didn't know what to do! You've always been so nice to me and I thought maybe you could help me since you're a cop." Donna said frantically.

"Where have you been? Are you hurt? Do you know where your parents are? Are they hurt?" Nick lowered his gun as his anger was replaced by deep concern for the distraught young woman before him.

"I messed up, Mr. Stokes. I didn't know he was serious until it was too late. They're going to do bad things and those poor little children are so scared! You have to help them!" Donna babbled, clutching at his hand.

"Donna, I understand that you're upset, but in order for me to help you , I need you to slow down and tell me everything. Start at the beginning, okay?" Nick used a soothing tone as he brought the girl over to the bed and encouraged her to sit down.

"I guess it all started when I saw Nathan. I wasn't lying to Mr. Grissom when I said before that I didn't know where he was. I hadn't been in contact with him. I promise. He just showed up outside my window a few nights ago and wanted to talk. I know that I shouldn't have and that it was wrong given that I knew what he had done to his father, but I let him inside my room. He was all excited and started talking to me about how happy he was. He had found his true father or something like that. That part was a bit confusing and I didn't really understand what he was saying because he was talking so fast and kept pacing around the room. Anyway, he told me that he could introduce me to a man who would change my life, who knew how to help me be happy." Donna paused to wipe a few stray tears away from her eyes.

"Why were you unhappy?" Nick asked. He didn't know Donna all that well, just enough to say hi and engage her in small talk in passing, but she had never given him the impression of being continually unhappy.

"Because of my parents. They're never around and they never pay any attention to me except when they're finding fault. It's gotten worse over the past year. That's why when Nathan and I met, we connected so quickly. We both know what it's like to be unloved." She sniffed and looked away.

Her voice grew quiet as she continued to speak. "Nathan just looked so different. So happy. I wanted to feel that way too so I went with him. He took me to this house and introduced me to Levi and the others. Nathan told Levi all about me and how my parents treated me. Levi promised that he could make things better if I wanted him to and I said yes. At first, I thought Levi and everyone else were good people. They were so nice to me. They cared about me. But then I saw the children, Ally and Matt. They were so scared. They kept crying for their mom, but Martin wouldn't let them see her. I couldn't figure out why. Then last night Levi called for me and told me that the first step towards my healing was about to begin. He took me to this room where all these people were tied up. He pointed to each one of them and told me what they had done to deserve the punishment they were going to receive. One of the women was Ally and Matt's mom. She was screaming for her children. Then he brought my parents in all tied up and I got scared. Levi said that the earth had to be purged from people like my parents who were evil and didn't know how to love. He said that they had treated me unjustly and in a few days, they would pay for it. I didn't know what to do. I only just managed to slip away. I came straight here because I didn't know where else to go or who to trust. I knew you'd take me seriously."

At this, she became frantic once again. "I didn't know what he was going to do! I swear! I didn't know he was going to take my parents! Please do something! He's going to kill them! He's going to kill all of them!"

Nick fell silent, staring at Donna's face. The way she was pleading him with those big, brown eyes of hers made his heart ache for her. She needed his help and he would not abandon her. The concept of not helping someone in need was completely foreign to him. He couldn't let her down. Not now when she so desperately needed him.

Nick pressed his lips into a thin line of determination. "Take me to the house."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Nick followed Donna's directions and began to drive towards the location of Levi and his followers. He knew there were now nineteen people there - about half of them victims. He shuddered at the thought of all those people dying. Granted, many of them were hardly what you would call "innocent" but that did not necessarily mean they should die a horrible death. Given the scope of destruction and death that could take place, Nick knew that it did not get much more serious than this.

In an attempt to get his mind off the unappealing thought of all that death, Nick asked, "Donna, do you know why these people haven't been killed yet? Why are they being kept alive?"

"Levi said that it wasn't time. The Day of Purging wasn't here yet, but I got that impression that it was going to arrive soon." she said.

Nick mulled this thought over. So the Day of Purging must be an actual, predetermined date rather than some arbitrary day decided upon by Levi when his murderous intentions struck his fancy. But what day was it? He had no way of knowing for sure. Nick sighed and stole a glance at the girl seated next to him. The stress she was currently under was obvious. Her eyes were red and swollen and her whole body seemed to tremble slightly. Nick knew it must have taken a great deal of courage for her to come to him.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." he told her quietly. "You did the right thing by coming to me. We're going to find these guys and put a stop to everything. Your parents are going to be just fine."

"I hope so." she whispered.

Full of despair, Donna turned her head and stared out of the window. The scenery was passing by so quickly that she didn't have a chance to let her eyes truly focus on anything and it seemed to be a perfect representation of her present state of mind. Everything was happening so fast and that she didn't have a chance to stop and gather her wits about her, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't stop because people's lives where at stake.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Donna's voice was barely audible, but the depth of its emotion spoke volumes to Nick. "I just wanted them to pay attention to me. I just wanted to know that they loved me like I love them."

"They do love you, Donna. Some people just have a hard time showing it." Nick told her as he continued to make his way towards the house.

The road they were on was practically deserted. Not many people were driving to the lake at this time of night. The address that Donna had given him was for one of those expensive houses on the bank of Lake Meade. Those houses were secluded and surrounded by numerous trees, the ideal place for hiding a bunch of kidnaping victims. Of course, this would also work in their favor as it would be easier to sneak up unnoticed.

When they finally arrived, Nick parked his SUV behind some trees. They quietly exited the vehicle and began to make their way towards the house as quietly as possible. The pair were now about twenty feet away from the house. Crouching in the bushes, Nick let his eyes scan the building. There were a few lights on, but he saw no one moving inside. He could hear no sounds - no shouting - coming from the house.

Nick could feel Donna's presence next to him and he sensed her nervous determination. She was ready to risk it all to put an end to this. Nick felt his heart begin to pound against his chest with anticipation. The anger that he had been feeling earlier was gone and was replaced with an overwhelming anxiousness to do something - to make a contribution to the case and help these people. He was, well, excited. He was about to save the day and Grissom had believed him incapable of doing anything of use.

Grissom. The mere thought of his supervisor was like getting doused with a bucket of ice water. Suddenly, reality crashed down around him and he stared at his surroundings as if only just aware of them.

'What are you doing?' a condescending voice asked. _'Look at where you are! You're crouched in the bushes outside of a house full of suspects! What do you hope to accomplish, being as outnumbered as you are?"_

'_I know what I'm doing! Donna needs me! Those people need me! They're going to die if I don't do something!'_ he tried to reason with the voice._  
_

The voice was not about to be silenced that easily. _"You're doing exactly what Grissom accused you of doing! Playing the hero! Can you imagine what he'd say to you if he could see you now? I bet it wouldn't be pretty.' _

'I could care less what Grissom thinks! He made it quite clear that he has no use for me! Besides, he doesn't know me! He doesn't know anything about me!' Nick gritted his teeth at this thought.

Switching tactics, the voice asked_, 'Can't you see that you're rushing into danger blindly? Are you so clouded by your emotions that you can't think clearly? Will you let your pride lead you into folly? Will your determination to prove Grissom wrong be the deciding factor here rather than your common sense?'_

'_I am not clouded by my emotions and I don't need to prove anything to Grissom! I'm just trying to do the right thing and help these people!'_ Nick thought furiously.  
_  
'Then call Grissom and tell him what you know! Call Brass! Call anyone! Don't just go racing in there with your gun drawn, expecting to single-handedly save the day! That's insanity! You're gonna get yourself killed! Or worse, you'll get Donna killed!'_ the voice shouted at him._  
_

These last few words shook Nick to the core. He peered at Donna out of the corner of his eye. She was so young. Of course he couldn't let her do anything that might put her in any more jeopardy than she was in already. She was his responsibility and he needed to protect her first and foremost. He never should have let her come with him in the first place. He should have called for backup, but he hadn't been thinking clearly.

Immediately, the voice went silent and oddly enough, Nick's nerves seemed to steady a bit. Calling was the right thing to do. Whether he wanted to do it or not was beside the point. Although Nick loathed the thought of being the one to make first contact after the fight he and Grissom just had, there were more important things at stake than his wounded pride.

Nick sighed as he pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled down for the name he was looking for and hit the dial button when he reached it.

"What are you doing?" Donna whispered anxiously.

"Something I should have done sooner. I'm calling for backup." Nick said quietly as he put the phone up to his ear.

It rang and it rang and it rang, but Grissom never answered. Nick checked his watch. Not that much time had passed since their fight so it wasn't as if Grissom was already at home and asleep. In fact, Nick would bet his next paycheck that Grissom was still at the lab and just avoiding his call. He pushed aside his annoyance and left his boss a detailed voice mail message, thinking that Grissom might prefer that to actually having to talk to him.

Nick ended the call and was about to call Brass when a voice from behind him spoke. "Unable to reach your supervisor, Mr. Stokes? What a pity."

Nick whirled around from his crouched position to find himself faced with an armed Levi. He stood up cautiously and took a step in front of Donna. He wanted to provide her with some protection even if it was a bit meager. Remaining silent, he kept his face emotionless.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Stokes. I see that Will didn't rough you up too much last night. It was never my intent to hurt you, but you do seem to love playing the hero. You left me no other choice. I warned you not to get in my way." Levi allowed a smile to play across his face.

Nick remained mute, something which Levi seemed to find amusing.

"Why so silent, Mr. Stokes? You didn't have a problem expressing yourself when we met before." Levi said almost playfully. "Have you decided to mirror the stoicism of your boss? In all honesty, it doesn't really seem to suit you."

Nick glared defiantly and still refused to speak. He would not be baited into an argument with Levi this time.

Levi peered at him thoughtfully. "It seems that you are not in the mood for talk and frankly, neither am I. It's time to put an end to your heroics."

As Levi said this, three figures stepped out of the shadows of the trees. Nick only recognized one of them, Nathan Sanford, and the young man was wearing a look of surprise mingled with hurt.

"Donna." he whispered in amazement. "What have you done? I trusted you."

Donna took a step closer so that she was almost touching Nick and she peered out from behind his shoulder. "Nathan, I'm sorry, but I had no choice. What you're doing - "

"That's enough!' Levi said firmly. He took a step towards Nathan and placed a hand on his shoulder all the while keeping his gun trained on Nick. "I am sorry, my son, that you have suffered this betrayal. I should have warned you. I sensed that she was not able to comprehend the great thing that we are trying to accomplish, but I did nothing to prevent her treachery. I am sorry that my inability to act upon my suspicions has caused you pain."

"You knew that she would do this to me?" Nathan looked into the eyes of his surrogate father. Under normal circumstances, the pained look on his face would have moved Nick. It was quite obvious that Nathan was reeling from the perceived betrayal by the girl he had cared for, but Nick was finding it hard to be too sympathetic at the moment.

Levi hung his head in an effort to appear contrite. "It was a fear of mine. That is why I had Martin keep an eye on her. I knew that if she ran for help, she would run to her neighbor - the courageous if not fool-hardy, Mr. Stokes. He is someone that she trusts and feels comfortable with. And I was right. Do not fear, my son. She shall be punished for her deceitfulness."

At these words, the two older men moved forward, but Nick moved to block their path, bracing himself for a fight. One of the men smiled slightly at Nick's chivalry and pulled out a gun from his waistband. He held it up for Nick to see.

"This is yours, isn't it? I like this gun. It's a nice one. Thanks for letting me have it." The man who was Will smirked at Nick.

The other man laughed openly at Will's words and pulled out his own gun. Now feeling a bit overwhelmed, Nick took a step back and resumed his protective stance in front of Donna.

Levi chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Mr. Stokes. We'd be delighted to have you join us as well. There is much that I would like to share with you."

* * *

Grissom sat in his office, annoyed. He was annoyed that he was annoyed again. Indeed, annoyance was becoming his constant companion this past month and it was all Nick's fault. When would Nick grow up? He had come barging in here like an angry child, demanding for Grissom to start treating him nicer. It was quite pathetic really. Didn't he understand that his actions a month ago came with repercussions or did he think himself above such things?

He tapped his fingers on his desk, letting the annoyance course through him. He glared at the object in front of him as it represented the source of all his current frustrations. The cell phone seemed to mock him with its display of one new message. He didn't want to check it, but the longer he avoided it, the more annoyed it made him.

When he realized that Nick was calling him, he had purposefully not answered it. The last thing he had wanted to do was talk to Nick and besides, he already knew what Nick wanted to say to him. He was calling to apologize for his inappropriateness. No doubt he would beg for forgiveness, but Grissom would not give it so easily. Nick had to learn that there were consequences to everything he did.

Grissom looked away from the offending object and tried to focus his attention on the papers in front of him, but after a few minutes, he gave up. Frowning, he reached for his phone and pressed the button that allowed him to hear Nick's message.

"Grissom, it's Nick. Look, I know where Levi and all those missing people are. I'm up here at the lake with Donna Redman."

What? Nick was where? Nick was with who? Was this some kind of a joke? Nick wouldn't have been that reckless to follow Donna to some remote location in order to save the day, would he? But he already knew the answer.

Grissom was halfway down the hallway before he even realized that he had gotten to his feet. In vain, his eyes scanned the lab for any sign of Nick. Grissom could feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This message was old. Three hours had passed and he had heard nothing else from Nick or anyone else for that matter.

That was not a good sign.

Passing the locker room, Grissom stuck his head inside, hoping to find Nick. Instead, he found Warrick who was in the process of slipping his jacket on.

"Have you heard from Nick recently?" Grissom asked by way of greeting.

Immediately, Warrick, perceptive as he was, sensed something was off. "No, not for a while. Why? What's wrong?"

"Go over to his place. See if he's there and then call me." Grissom ordered, heading off again.

Warrick stood at the doorway and called after Grissom's retreating back. "Grissom! What's going on? Where are you going?"

He was rewarded with silence, and he hesitated a moment, debating whether to go after Grissom and make him explain the situation. But Grissom was in one of his moods. Perhaps the best way for him to find out what was going on was to do what Grissom asked him. Warrick sighed and fished his keys out of his pocket, hoping that his best friend hadn't landed himself in more trouble.

* * *

"So you ready?" Brass whispered to Grissom. The two men were standing behind some trees just outside of the house where Levi was supposed to be holding his hostages. They had not spotted Nick's vehicle, nor any other for that matter, and the house was completely dark. There was no sign of movement anywhere and Grissom had an unpleasant feeling as to what they would find inside.

"Yeah, send them in." Grissom whispered back.

Brass turned his head and nodded to the cop nearest him, who was behind a clump of trees. The cop nodded in understanding and signaled that it was time. Multiple uniforms appeared out from behind the trees and made their way quickly and quietly up to the house. Brass followed them, but Grissom remained in his spot. He'd wait until Brass let him know that it was clear.

Half resting, half keeping a watchful eye, Grissom pressed himself against the tree, waiting expectantly for some sign of hope. Deep down, he knew that things didn't look good. There had been no word from Nick. Brass hadn't even known that Nick had come up here and surely if Nick had called him, he would have called Brass as well - which could only mean that he had been prevented from making the call for some reason.

On their way here, he had received a call from Warrick. Nick was not a home. His car was not there and there was sign of a break in. To say that Warrick was concerned would have been an understatement. The younger man had demanded to know what was going on, but all Grissom told him was that they were investigating a new lead. He hadn't wanted to say anything more than that until he knew for sure.

Gil had no idea how long he stood behind that tree. It was probably only a few minutes but it felt like a lifetime. Finally, Brass reappeared. The CSI could tell immediately from the look on the detective's face that he did not come bearing good news.

"We found Brad and Patricia Redman. Bound and gagged but otherwise fine." Brass said as Grissom stepped out from behind the tree to meet him.

"What about Nick? What about everyone else?" Grissom asked.

Jim shook his head. "There's no sign of them, Gil. They're gone."

His worst fears confirmed, Grissom's back hit hard against the trunk of the tree that had been shielding him. Unable to speak, he slid down to the ground and put his head in his hands.

"What have I done?" he whispered.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Levi had deemed the house at the lake no longer safe. Depending on when Grissom listened to Nick's message, the police would no doubt be swarming the area in a matter of hours. He had ordered his followers to move to a new location, one that had been offered to him. It was inside the city, but it would do until the time came for them to act.

So they had blindfolded and bound their victims and transported them all. All of them except Donna's parents that is. Because of Donna's betrayal, Levi had declared her guilty and because of her guilt, she did not deserve the healing that would come from the death of her parents. Levi had no use for them and no desire to kill them so he left them behind. Nick had been somewhat relieved that at least two people were going to escape unharmed though it was hardly a cause for celebration.

Nick had no idea where they had been taken. He had no idea what had happened to the others for he and Donna were being kept in a separate room. It was empty except for a table and a chair. There were lines of dust on the floor which seemed to suggest that this room had been used for storage for a long period of time and the items had been recently removed by Levi's followers. But what the items were that had been stored in this room, Nick had no idea. There was nothing on the walls. Nothing at all in the room that would give him the slightest indication of where they were.

Nick sighed and tried to shift to a more comfortable position in his chair. His entire body hurt. Being tied to a chair was no picnic. The ropes had been tied so tightly that they cut into his wrists and every time he twisted his hands in an effort to break free, the ropes only dug deeper into his skin. The same was true of the ropes tied around his ankles. His head was throbbing. Getting smacked repeatedly up side the head with a gun will do that to you.

But that was just physical pain. Though it was uncomfortable to say the least, he could endure it. He had done so before and he could do it again. Mind over body. That's what he had to tell himself. The pain he was in was just a temporary condition. It was a lot more difficult to ignore the emotional pain his was suffering. No amount of happy thoughts and encouraging pep talks would mask the ache in his heart.

Nick blinked his eyes a few times and let his head fall back. What had he done? What had possessed him to go up to that lake without telling anyone until it was too late? What had he been thinking? Grissom had said that he had an inability to keep his emotions in check. Grissom had said that he had a reckless disregard for his own personal safety. Grissom had said that he had a need to play the hero. Well, look at him now. Grissom had been right.

The simple truth of the matter was that he hadn't been thinking. He had been too caught up in the thrill of saving the day. Too caught up in the excitement. His emotions had ruled him, not his common sense. It was bad enough that he'd gotten himself in trouble, but he also had dragged Donna into it as well. Nick turned his head and looked at the pitiful form of Donna. She was huddled in the corner of the room, her head in her bound hands. She had not been deemed as big a threat so Levi had been content with just tying ropes around her wrists and ankles and dumping her in the corner. The poor girl was so miserable that she hadn't moved from the spot where she had been placed. She just sat there, crying softly.

Nick cursed himself for his stupidity. He was most likely going to get himself and the girl he had been trying to help killed. His noble intentions had come to naught and the innocent would pay for it. All that death and it would be on his shoulders. Look at the mess he had created. It just another mess for Grissom to clean up.

Grissom. Surely the man knew by now what he had done. Everyone probably knew by now.

What must Grissom be thinking right now? Well, for starters, he was probably angry at Nick for being so stupid and reckless. He was probably angry that he now had two more people he had to look for. He was probably feeling validated because Nick had proved his opinion about him so completely. Perhaps he was thinking that Nick got what he deserved. Nick could hardly bring himself to disagree with that thought.

Nick let his chin fall forward to his chest. He tried to fight back the wave of sorrow that threatened to overcome him. Never before had he felt so completely worthless. So utterly lost. Tears stung his eyes and he squeezed them shut to prevent them from overflowing. Part of him desperately wanted to give in to his grief, but the other part of him would not allow it. Wallowing in his grief would get him nowhere. He had to think. Surely there was some way he could get out of this mess. He couldn't give up. Not yet.

* * *

Gil Grissom sat at his desk and tried to get a handle on his thoughts. Everything was slipping out of his control. He could feel it and he hated it. They had searched that house high and low and could find no clue that would lead them to Prosper's new location. It was as if they disappeared into thin air. A molecular impossibility he knew, but it still felt true nonetheless.

But that was hardly the main reason for his current state. A little voice inside his head was telling him that this was all his fault and he knew it was right. He should have answered Nick's call instead of ignoring it. Perhaps Nick wouldn't be missing now if he had. Of course, if he was completely honest with himself, Grissom knew that not answering the call wasn't the real, underlying reason Nick was in trouble now. It had everything to do with the way he had been treating Nick since the whole situation with Kristy. If he hadn't treated Nick so badly, the young man would be here right now, helping him solve the case like he was supposed to. But Grissom had pushed him away out of anger and practically forced Nick to put himself in danger.

During the past month, he had never really stopped to ask himself why he was so mad at Nick. Sure, Nick did something stupid that almost landed him in jail and as his boss, Grissom had every right to be upset by that. But where had this deep, seething anger come from? Catherine had been right. He had been lashing out at Nick in a unjust manner. He had done his best to rip Nick to shreds. Why? It didn't really make sense until now.

With the realization that Nick had gone rushing off into danger most likely as a result of the fight they had, things were starting to become a bit clearer. He wasn't truly angry at Nick for what he had done. The man accused of having no emotions was scared for his CSI.

Absolutely terrified.

Grissom suddenly realized that he was terrified of what Nick's need to save people and his great capacity for empathy would do to him. He was terrified that it would lead him into danger. Perhaps most of all, he was terrified that he wouldn't be able to help Nick.

In many ways, Nick's ability to empathize was far more dangerous than Warrick's gambling addiction or Sara's workaholic devotion. Those were things that Grissom could deal with in a more pragmatic way. Don't assign cases that strictly involve gambling to Warrick. Force Sara to take her day off and don't allow her to exceed her overtime limit. But how do you force someone to change who they are? He couldn't force Nick to stop caring and it wasn't as if he could just not assign Nick to certain cases because Nick was not prejudice when it came to empathy. He seemed to care about every victim to some extent.

Another aspect of why it was so dangerous was that caring about people was considered to be a good quality to have. How do you warn someone that the part of their character that helps to make them so personable and genuinely good is something that can lead them into danger? Was it a danger that he, a person who had trouble relating with others, could only see? How could he guide Nick when he wasn't even aware of the true nature of his own emotions? Grissom didn't know if it was even possible.

The harsh reality of it all was that he hadn't been able to help him. He had failed Nick. Completely. Utterly. Miserably.

Unbidden, his own words came back to haunt him. _"The sins the father commits against his son have disastrous and far-reaching consequences. A father is supposed to impart wisdom to his son and provide him with protection, but this is not what Reuben Prosper or Thomas Sanford did for their sons. They were physically and emotionally abusive and their ill treatment of their sons lead those who they should have been taking care of into danger - not danger from an outside source, but from a danger within."_

An immense pressure began to weigh down on him as he realized that this was exactly what he had done to Nick. Though he was not Nick's father, he was an authority figure and Nick had looked up to him. Nick had desired his attention and his approval, but Grissom had given him nothing but pain and neglect. He should have guided Nick and helped him, but he had not been able to because he hadn't been aware of his own feelings. His relationship with Nick proved that better than anything he could think of. Sometimes the only way people know how to show that they are concerned is through their anger and that's exactly what he had done. His terror had masqueraded itself as anger and even he had been deceived by its disguise. He had always had trouble communicating with Nick. Perhaps deep in the subconscious regions of his mind, he had decided that the best way to reach Nick was through anger and constant discipline, but in doing so, he had pushed the younger man away and driven him to take an extreme course of action.

The things that frightened Grissom the most about Nick, his empathy and his intense need to help others, had been the key to Nick's undoing. These were the things that Grissom should have cautioned him about, but he had realized his folly too late and now Nick was going to pay the price.

'_And it's all my fault.'_ Grissom thought bitterly.

Warrick suddenly came bounding into the room, interrupting Grissom's thoughts. "The house belongs to Prosper. It was registered under his name."

He shoved the paper in his hand under Grissom's nose. Anticipating his supervisor's next question, Warrick said, "I ran a property search and Prosper owns no other homes or buildings other than this one and his actual home."

"What about the homes of his followers?" Grissom asked, looking up at Warrick in expectancy. "Have we checked those? One of those might be big enough to house the whole group."

"I'll get Brass and we'll look into it." Warrick turned to leave but found his way blocked by Sara.

"I just got a call from dispatch. LVPD found Nick's vehicle abandoned on the side of the road. It's being towed to the lab." Sara told them as she ran a hand through her brunette waves.

Warrick sighed heavily and shot Grissom a look. Grissom could tell that the man's nerves were wearing thin and so were Sara's. They were concerned for their friend. They had every right to be. Grissom was suddenly struck by how very young they looked and in contrast, he suddenly felt ten years older. If they were seeking words of comfort from him, they would be disappointed. He had none to offer.

Another interruption came in the form of Catherine. She pushed her way past Sara so that she could look Grissom directly in the face.

"The Redmans are here. They want to know where their daughter is. What do you want me to tell them?" Catherine asked pointedly.

Grissom knew that Catherine already knew what she should tell them, but instead, she had decided to use this incident to force some sort of discussion. He wasn't in the mood for it. There wasn't time. The entomologist dropped his head and began to busy himself with the papers on his desk in an effort to ignore the woman's piercing gaze. "Tell them I don't know where she is."

Catherine threw up a hand in disgust. "I can't tell them that, Gil!"

Grissom slammed the papers he was holding on the desk. "You don't want to tell them the truth? Fine! Make something up! Sugar-coat it all you want!"

The office fell deathly still as an awkward silence settled between the CSIs. All four of them had been on the verge of an outburst, but none of them, Grissom included, had expected him to be the first one to let loose. When a man like Grissom lost his temper, people knew that things were bad and the implications made them feel, if possible, even worse.

Once again, Grissom began to madly shuffle the papers on his desk in an effort to ease his own tension. He hoped that his reanimation would signal to the others that it was time to leave. How he wished they would just leave him alone, but they remained rooted to their spots.

"Grissom?" Sara asked quietly. She hoped that she wasn't about to set him off again, but there was a question that she had been wanting an answer to ever since Nick went missing.

"Yeah Sara?" he answered in a calmer voice which Sara took as a good sign and pressed forward with her question.

She struggled with her words as if she couldn't quite bring herself to say them. She shifted uncomfortably. "Why aren't these people dead yet? I don't understand why they're being kept alive and for that matter, I don't understand why Prosper didn't just kill Nick for interfering."

Grissom pondered her question. It was a good one - one that he hadn't given a lot of thought.

"Well, perhaps the Day of Purging is an actual date rather than a day that Prosper chooses when he feels like it. If it's a fixed date, he wouldn't want to commit the murders before then. That would upset the ritual." Grissom said matter-of-factly.

"How do we know what day it is then? It could be today or tomorrow or next week!" Warrick threw up his hands in frustration.

"It's gotta be sooner rather than later, right? I mean, why else would you grab all those people if you were only going to hold them for a week?" Sara reasoned.

Grissom remained silent for a moment, letting his eyes fall to his desk. They were missing something. What was it? Suddenly, his eyes darted up.

"What day is it?" Grissom asked quickly.

"It's Tuesday. Almost Wednesday actually. It's nearly midnight." Warrick answered confused.

"No! The date! What's the date?" Grissom clarified.

"It's March 15th. Why?" Warrick asked.

Grissom ignored his question and dashed out of his office. Catherine, Warrick, and Sara were hot on his heels as he darted into the evidence room where Levi's trunk was being stored. Grissom grabbed it, threw the lid open, and began to search the contents frantically.

"What are you looking for, Grissom?" Catherine asked, trying to peak inside the trunk as well.

"The missing piece of the puzzle." Grissom responded, not bothering to look up. "Here it is!"

He pulled out the newspaper article he had been looking for and scanned it quickly. "Everything that Prosper's doing now centers around his relationship with his father. Nick said that the man was still battling the ghost of his father and he was right. Reuben Prosper went missing on March 17th. That's the Day of Purging."

"That doesn't give us much time." Warrick said grimly.

Grissom shook his head sadly. "No, it doesn't. In one day, nine people will be executed."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Nick strained against his ropes for what was probably the one hundredth time. If he was expecting them to loosen magically, he was sorely disappointed. His eyes had already scanned the room in search for something by which Donna could cut her ropes and then possibly free him, but he had found nothing. Besides, Donna was not engaging in any of his attempts to speak to her. She seemed to have resigned herself to the inevitable and was now waiting miserably for it to come.

He hated to see her in this condition. He wanted to offer her some hope even if he didn't have much to spare. Once again, Nick made an effort to speak to the young girl.

"Hey Donna, listen to me. We're going to get out of this situation alive. I promise. The guys at the lab are going to find us and these people are going to be stopped. Don't give up yet." he told her, trying to inject some confidence into his voice.

Donna raised her brown head and stared at him in disbelief. "How can you say that? We're gonna die."

"No we're not." Nick told her firmly. "Look, the people I work with are excellent at what they do. They'll put the pieces together and figure out where we are. Trust me. I know they will."

Donna still refused to be comforted. "You couldn't find Nathan a month ago and you couldn't prove that Levi was involved at all. What makes you think it'll be different this time?"

Nick hesitated briefly, uncertain of what to say. Finally, he opted for honesty. "You're right. I don't have solid proof that they'll find us, but my gut tells me that they will. They won't rest until they do."

Donna rested her head against the wall, looking completely miserable. "What if I don't want to be found?"

"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked, craning his head to get a better look at her.

"I don't want to face them. They're going to hate me for what I've done." Donna said quietly.

Nick understood that the "they" Donna was referring to was not his coworkers, but her parents and he felt a stab of pity for the girl that overwhelmed any feelings of sorrow he was having for himself.

"They don't hate you, Donna. If anything, they're proud of you. You risked everything to try and save them and all those other people. And I know they're worried about you. They want to get you back safe and sound. That's why you have to stay hopeful." Nick tried to reassure her, but he couldn't tell if his words were having the desired effect on her. When you've been neglected for so long by those you love, it's hard to believe that they care at all.

"Am I interrupting?" Levi's voice filled the silence that had fallen on the room after Nick's last words.

The CSI turned his head to see Levi standing at the door. He had opened it without Nick hearing him do so. Nick couldn't tell whether he was hear to talk or gloat. Whatever Levi's intentions, Nick wasn't in the mood to play games.

Nick stiffened and adopted an air of defiance. He shook his head unconsciously as if to tell Levi that he wasn't going to win.

Levi strolled casually into the room, a wry smile playing across his face. He stopped by the table and leaned his body against it. Fixing Nick with an amused look, he said casually, "You know, you don't have to be tied to that chair."

Nick tried to look away in an attempt to ignore Levi, but he didn't have many options so he opted for staring at the floor. Of course, this did not prevent him from hearing what Levi had to say and the man knew this, which is why he kept speaking. "You could be downstairs with us, embarking on a new life rather than waiting for this one to end. Someone like you should be joining me, not trying to work against me. I can see what kind of man you are, Mr. Stokes. It's as plain as day. You're a good man, a moral man. You're someone who wants to help others because you care about them. Donna Redman is living proof of this. You're also someone who thinks the guilty should be punished for their crimes. You admitted this the other day in my office. I admire these things about you. They are good qualities to possess. They are things that we have in common."

Abandoning his position by the table, Levi walked over and knelt by Nick's side. He draped one arm around the back of the chair and rested the other at his side. He peered up at Nick and the CSI could not help but meet his gaze. Levi's face had lost its amused look and had grown soft. His eyes shown with such pity that Nick was starting to see how this man had convinced the others to be willing participants in kidnaping and eventual homicide. It was quite frightening actually to see the kind of persuasive power this man possessed.

When he spoke again, Levi had dropped the sound of his voice so that it was barely above a whisper but it still retained its intensity. "You and I are not that different. We want the same things. We want to help those who are suffering. We want to see justice served. Why fight me when we are on the same side?"

Though he had been intending to remain silent, Nick found that he could not do so any longer. He needed to speak. "You and I are not the same. I would never encourage people to take matters into their own hands. I would never encourage someone to become a murderer. I spend my days cleaning up after people like the ones you've created - people who think they have the right to take a life for whatever reason they deem appropriate. It is not the individual's responsibility to deal out judgement. That's why we have the legal system."

Levi didn't get angry. He stayed calm, his voice still remaining quiet. "Your system is flawed and you know it. How many times have the guilty gone free? There's not enough evidence or the victim's afraid to testify or they get off on a technicality. The system you work so hard to uphold lets you down and all that hard work you do is gone to waste. Surely a disappointment like that must start to eat away at your soul."

Though he knew that he was in no danger of being swayed by the man's speech, Nick had to admit that Levi's words resonated deep inside of him. It was tragic and deeply disappointing when the guilty went free. Those were the times when you wondered what was the use of trying to do the right thing. That's when his actions felt futile.

Levi nodded in understanding. "Yes, I can see that my words are true."

He continued to search Nick's face. "I can tell that you have undergone great suffering in your past. Your eyes betray your pain. Only a person who has fallen victim to some crime would have your passion for justice and your empathy for the victim. Yes, you know what it's like to suffer. That's yet another thing we have in common."

Nick looked away. He didn't want to discuss any aspect of his past with Levi. It was none of his business, but his words had awakened old feelings that were hard to shake.

"I have no doubt that you searched my home and more than likely, you discovered my trunk. You would have read about my past and my relationship with my father. If you could call it a relationship that is. My father was a cruel man. He never appreciated me. Never loved me. That's all I ever wanted from him, but the only thing he ever gave me was abuse. Pain where there should have been protection. Hatred where there should have been love." Levi would not take his eyes off Nick's face as he said this.

"But you took care of him, didn't you? He went missing and was never seen again." Nick matched Levi's low tone but added a harshness to his voice. He was hoping to shake the man's calm exterior and gain some sort of foothold against him.

The faintest trace of a smile crossed Levi's lips. "He was a bad, cruel man and he got what he deserved. Justice. Killing him allowed me to achieve the greatest sense of peace that I have ever felt. That's what I want to share with the people downstairs. I want them to find healing."

Nick smirked at his words. "Healing? Is that what you call it? I don't think killing your father brought you healing or peace or closure. I think the ghost of your father is still haunting you. I think he's always with you, plaguing your every thought. I think you're still battling him and I think that's why you manipulated Nathan Sanford into killing his father. It had nothing to do with Nathan. You're still punishing your father and trying to move past what he did to you and what you did to him. I think part of you is so disgusted by what you did to your father that you're trying to surround yourself with people just like you. I think that's why you convinced all these other people that they need to kill the people who have wronged them. You're trying to turn them into monsters just like you."

"You're in danger of outsmarting yourself, Mr. Stokes." Levi dropped his quiet tone and switched back to his characteristically mocking tone. Nick could tell that he had struck a nerve and it pleased him. His sense of triumph was short-lived.

"Such a passionate response. One made out of anger. You are easily provoked into speaking your thoughts. That can be very dangerous in your line of work. I can see why Mr. Grissom gets so annoyed with you." Levi smiled.

Nick looked away quickly, the sound of Grissom's name causing an unpleasant sensation to build up inside of him. This only served to encourage Levi. "Yes, I saw the way he looked at you a month ago in my office and I saw the way you almost visible recoiled under that harsh look. The tension between the two of you was coming off in waves. And I wondered if you had done something to anger him greatly or if this was just the way your relationship had always been. I could see how such a mature, intelligent, scientific man like Mr. Grissom would have a problem with someone like you. Your immaturity is obvious. You are quick to react and slow to think when it should be the other way around. You respond emotionally instead of intelligently. If that were not so, you would not be in your current predicament. However, something tells me that this is not the first time you've gotten yourself in trouble. Mr. Grissom is going to have to try and save you again. My, I bet that would get tiresome after a while."

Biting his lip, Nick's head sunk a bit lower. Once again, his words struck him to the core. Levi certainly had a gift for knowing exactly what to say to make him feel like nothing. The worst part was that Nick knew his words were true and Levi knew it as well. "I imagine that someone like you, someone who has a strong ability to connect emotionally with others, would find the coldness of Mr. Grissom difficult to bear. I bet you tried to win him over - to be close to him. It's blatantly obvious that you failed completely in that endeavor. Of course you would. He's a man of science. He is, in essence, the exact opposite of you and contrary to popular belief, opposites do not attract. I would venture to guess that every effort you made to please him was only met with further resistance. But did you learn from this? No. This kind of behavior would only make you try all the more."

Levi got to his feet and stood towering over Nick, his eyes filled with disgust. "Normally, I would find a situation like this tragic but in your case, I find it rather pathetic. So sit there in your chair, Mr. Stokes. Cling to your feeble hope for a dramatic rescue. But I ask you to consider this. What man would risk himself to save someone he cares nothing about? Mr. Grissom does not share your need to play the hero and he will not put himself in danger just for your sake. He's too smart for that."

With that, Levi strode out of the room feeling that he had accomplished a great goal. The man he left behind felt completely demoralized. Despair, the likes of which he had never known, threatened to overtake Nick and he no longer had the strength or the desire to fight it. There was nothing else left to which he could cling. Sinking lower in his chair, Nick gave in to the howling rage of despair inside of him.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Nick had sat for hours in a silent despair with Levi's words repeating over and over in his head until it throbbed. Finally, he'd had enough wallowing. He could only take self-pity for so long before it became unbearable and besides, he knew it offered no help to his current situation. Levi had been trying to break him, trying to make him give up hope so that he would lay down and die without a fight. Nick could not do that. He would not do that.

So he charged himself with the task of finding away out of this mess. He didn't want to sit around waiting for a rescue. He preferred to be proactive. If he was on the lookout, an opportunity for escape might prevent itself. He needed to consider every possible option. Cutting through the ropes wouldn't work because there was nothing with which to cut them. He could try fight his way out when they cut him loose to kill him, but that would most likely just get him and perhaps Donna killed quicker. No, there had to be another way. He had to find it.

As Nick was weighing the possibilities, the door opened once again. He assumed that Levi was back for more emotional torture, but he was wrong. Nick watched as the thin form of Nathan Sanford entered the room. The teenager quietly shut the door behind him - an action which immediately told Nick that he was here without Levi's approval. Now that he was inside the room, Nathan appeared uncertain as to what he should do. For a few moments, he stood rooted in his spot as if waging some internal battle. Finally, with some hesitancy, he made his way over to Donna and kneeled before her.

Nick remained mute, curious to see what was about to happen. How would Nathan treat Donna? Would he respond with violence? With apathy? With sympathy? He was about to find out.

Nathan peered into the girl's face and asked, "How are you?"

Donna stared at him in disbelief. "How am I? Not good Nathan. I'm waiting to die. That doesn't exactly qualify as a good time."

"How do you think I feel? You betrayed me! For the longest time, you were the only person I trusted and you let me down." Nathan shook his head, his sorrowful features belying his angry tone.

Donna suddenly grew animated as her anger overwhelmed her despair. "I betrayed you? What about your betrayal of me? We were friends, Nathan! More than friends! We were close. We shared our deepest secrets and fears and now you're going to let that man kill me because I tried to do the right thing!"

"You shouldn't have run to the police, Donna. You don't understand what we're trying to do here. It's truly a great thing." Nathan told her though his tone lacked the certainty his words conveyed.

"Kidnaping and murder are not great things! They're wrong, Nathan, and you know it! You cannot take matters into your own hands." Donna chastised him.

"Levi said that you couldn't understand. He warned me that some would not understand what we were trying to do. I wish you could understand. You should be with me. Not tied up in here." Nathan said sadly.

Donna shook her head in sorrow. Tears ran down her cheek as she spoke. "What has he done to you? What lies has he made you believe? That man does not know you! Not like I do! We've been through so much, Nathan. I know that you're a good person. That man has manipulated you. He's using you to achieve his own goals. You are so much better than that. Better than him! Don't let him use you! Show me that you are still the same boy that I fell in love with. Please. I know he's there somewhere."

The boy hesitated. He had lowered his eyes at Donna's last words and now seemed uncertain as to what to say in response.

"Nathan, please!" Donna pleaded desperately with him. She reached forward with her bound hands and latched onto his arm. "Don't let him do this!"

Nathan stared at her hands and then looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but you have been found guilty. You must be punished."

Nathan stood up quickly and walked as quickly to the door as he could without actually running. Nick suddenly realized that he had found a potential means of escape. Nathan was conflicted which meant that he might be susceptible to Nick's words. He might not be presented with another opportunity like this so he needed to make the most of it before Nathan went back down to Levi.

"You're having doubts." Nick said quietly but firmly.

Nathan removed his hand from the doorknob and spun on his heel in order to face Nick. "I am not having doubts." His face and voice were both unconvincing.

Nick smiled softly. "Yes you are or you wouldn't be here. Things aren't turning out the way you expected them too. You've suddenly found that you're in over your head and you don't know how to get out of this situation. Levi is like a father to you, but now he's asking you to do something that you're not sure you can do. He's asking you to kill someone you love. Why? Because she tried to save the lives of her parents. His request is bothering you. You don't want to do it."

A flicker of emotion passed across Nathan's face too quickly for Nick to catch, but the stiffening of the boy's spine was clearly visible. In a tone that was not unlike Levi's, he said, "If you take my concern for Donna's life to mean that I have concern for yours, you are sadly mistaken Mr. Stokes. I care nothing for you and your words of manipulation have no power over me. I know Levi. I trust him. He only wants good things for me. He knows what is best and he has taught me that everything comes with a sacrifice."

Nick was not about to back down. "If he truly wanted what was best for you, he would not have made you a murderer. If you stand by and let Donna be killed, your inaction will haunt you for the rest of your life. You still have time to do the right thing, Nathan. It's not too late."

Nathan hesitated, his spine losing its stiffness, and ran a hand through his sandy hair. For a moment, Nick thought that he might just come over and untie him, but then Nathan opened the door and stepped outside into the hallway. He lifted his eyes to meet Nick's and said, "Yes, it is."

* * *

Catherine and Sara had spent the last hour running property searches on Levi's followers and had come up with nothing other than the houses they already knew about. No one secretly owned a mansion that would be the ideal hideout for a cult-like group to perform its ritual murder. They were rapidly running out of leads to chase.

To Sara's surprise, Catherine pushed away angrily from the desk where she was sitting.

"Where are you going?" the brunette asked her.

"To stretch my legs. I need to get away from this thing." Catherine shot an angry look at the computer before stalking away.

Catherine made her way down the hall in silence. She had been telling a half truth to Sara when she said that she needed to stretch her legs. In actuality, there was a more pressing matter that she wanted to deal with and it wasn't connected to the case in the strictest of sense. However it did have everything to do with the man supposedly leading this investigation so she felt justified in addressing it.

Catherine had assigned herself the unspoken task of "taking care" of her coworkers and as the only one with a child, this task came natural to her. To say that she was concerned would be an understatement. They were all worried about Nick. How could they not be? He was their friend and he was in danger. They all wanted to find him, but none of them had crossed the line of obsession that Grissom had crossed ever since they realized Nick was gone. She couldn't recall ever seeing him like this and she reasoned that his current behavior had to be the result of his guilt over treating Nick so badly recently. Whether it was guilt or worry, Gil Grissom was rapidly becoming a object of concern.

She knocked politely on his office door and gave him a warm smile when he looked up. Immediately, Catherine saw his features darken a bit and she realized that getting him to talk wasn't going to be easy. However, Catherine was not about to be stonewalled by the scientist. At least not without a fight.

"I was wondering how you were doing." Catherine said as she entered the office. She closed the door behind her so as to give them some privacy.

"Well, I've discovered a few more things from Levi's journal. He - ..." Gil started but Catherine cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"That's not what I meant." she corrected him gently.

Gil lowered his head a bit. "I know what you meant. I don't want to talk about it."

Catherine shifted in her seat, ready to take him on. "This is about what you need, Gil, not what you want. You need to talk about this. I know you're upset about Nick. I know you're worried. We all are. We all want to get Nick back safely as well as all those other people, but in order to do that, we need you to be focused. Right now, you're not and it's obvious that you're responding more emotionally than logically. We need you to be our leader and not stay barricaded in your office."

Grissom stared at a spot on his desk while Catherine allowed her words to sink in. Without raising his head, he spoke again in a tone that nearly broke Catherine's heart. "We had a fight yesterday. Nick and I. He came in here to confront me about the way I had been treating him over the past month and I let him have it. I didn't pull any punches. I was deliberately mean and spiteful, telling him just exactly how worthless I thought he was. Then I kicked him out of the lab. Told him that I didn't want to see him anymore. And that's not even the worst part of it all. He called me to say that he was at the lake with Donna Redman and that he knew where Levi was holding all those people and I deliberately ignored his call."

Catherine stared at him as the horrible realization settled over her. Now she was beginning to understand why Grissom had been acting the way he had. He wasn't just blaming himself for treating Nick badly. He considered himself responsible for Nick's current situation, something which was not completely unfounded. She could have yelled at him, blaming him for everything, and she would have been justified. However, Catherine couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew that Grissom had channeled all of his guilt and remorse into finding Nick and she wanted to encourage him. Not kick him while he's down.

A look of sorrow on her face, Catherine said, "Gil, I - ..."

This time it was Grissom's turn to cut Catherine off.

Getting to his feet, he asked, "Is this the part where you're going to tell me that it's not my fault? That Nick rushing off into danger and getting himself abducted had nothing to do with the fact that I treated him like garbage and didn't answer his call? If it is, I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me that it's going to be okay. Don't tell me that I'm a good person. Don't give me your pity. Don't try to comfort me. I don't want it and I don't deserve it."

Catherine closed her mouth, indicating that she was going to respect his wishes, and she was about to ask him what he had found in the journal when something around Grissom's waist caught her eye.

"Are you wearing a gun?" she asked in astonishment. "I haven't seen you wear one since..."

The words died on her lips as she made the connection. Amy Hendler. The last time Grissom had worn his gun, he had saved Nick's life. Was he wearing one now as some sort of weird good luck charm, hoping that he'd have the chance once again to perform some heroic act?

Grissom looked down at his waist and stared dumbly at the gun. "I just felt like putting it on. Can't really explain why. It just felt like the right thing to do."

Catherine hesitated, not sure if Grissom's sudden need to pack heat was something that warranted further discussion or not. She guessed that Grissom's subconscious was trying to latch onto something that offered him security and perhaps the best thing was a loaded weapon - something that offered self-protection in more ways than one. Well, who was she to deny him the right to bear arms?

"Okay." Catherine nodded and promptly switched topics. "Do you want to tell me what new information you got from Prosper's journal?"

Catherine almost missed the look of gratitude in Grissom's eyes as he sat back down. He held up the journal and said, "Prosper goes into some detail as to what he means by the 'purging' and how the guilty must be destroyed by fire. It makes sense in a way. Certain metals are subjected by fire and the impurities are burned away. In the same way, Levi is subjecting the earth, or society, by fire and burning away the impurities, or the guilty as he would call it."

"So he's planning to somehow burn these people alive." Catherine said, trying not to let the terror she was feeling creep into her voice.

"Prosper could start a fire the simple way with a match and accelerant or he could do something more elaborate like constructing a bomb. Regardless of how the fire starts, he's going to ensure that those people are consumed by the flames." Grissom muttered grimly.

Unbidden, an image of Nick trapped in a building surrounded by flames flashed before her eyes causing Catherine to give an involuntary shudder. She desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Something in her face must have given Catherine's thoughts away causing Gil to frown. "I'm assuming that you've yet to uncover anything of interest."

Catherine shook her head sadly. "Nothing but dead ends."

The implication went unspoken but was understood by both of them. They were running out of options; they were running out of time. Once again, Grissom could feel that immense pressure weighing down on his shoulders. It caused him to fidget in his chair and he felt the sudden desire to be anywhere other than the lab.

"This isn't helping." Gil said as he tossed the journal aside. He stood up abruptly and headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Catherine called out after him.

"To get a fresh perspective." Grissom called from over his shoulder.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When he had left his office, Grissom hadn't been completely sure where he was going. He had just gotten inside his vehicle and started to drive. His subconscious must have known where it wanted to go though because he wound up outside of Levi Prosper's office. Grissom stared at the building, considering it. Perhaps there was something he missed when he searched the office initially. It was worth checking out.

When the beat cop finally showed up to let him in, Grissom nearly bowled him over in his anxiousness to get inside the office. Once inside, he began to tear the place apart in his attempt to look for the slightest clue that might tell him where Levi was. Right now, he'd take anything. A name. A location. Anything that might give him a new lead to chase.

Frustration began to overflow inside of him as he continued to find nothing probative. What was wrong with him? He was usually so adept at finding the missing piece and seeing what others could not and now, when this skill was needed more than ever, he was coming up empty. He knew deep down that he was rushing and was therefore, most likely overlooking a potential clue, but he couldn't seem to stop his hands from picking up a stack of papers, flipping through them madly, and then abandoning them for the next stack. Time was of the essence as March 17th was only a few hours away. He had to hurry. Nick was going to die if he didn't find him soon.

Nick was going to die.

This was the first time he had dared to voice the harsh truth that had been lingering in the back of his mind and the reality of it hit him like a ton of bricks. The worst part of all this was that Nick was going to die believing that Grissom hated him. That thought made Grissom practically sick because it was so incredibly false. He didn't hate Nick though for a while there he hadn't been too sure about that. He cared about him with genuine sincerity. There was so much that he wanted to say to Nick. If he never got to say it, the sadness that had been lurking in Nick's eyes during their fight would haunt him for the rest of his life, and rightly so. He deserved nothing less for what he had done.

Suddenly overcome with despair, Grissom flopped down in Levi's chair. He let his head hang low, unable to support it any longer. Feeling that he was on the verge of a breakdown, he tried to calm his reeling nerves.

'_Okay, just take a deep breath and focus.' _the CSI said to himself. _'These people did not just vanish. They have to be somewhere. It's probably someplace obvious that I'm overlooking.'_

He closed his eyes and thought. The properties owned by Levi had been thoroughly checked by the police so he knew that they weren't hiding there. The houses and various properties of his followers had been checked and they weren't hiding there either. That left the victims. Had anyone looked into them and the properties they owned? He had a feeling that had been neglected till now.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Grissom. He reached for his cell phone and waited impatiently for Catherine to answer his call.

"Hey, where did you end up?" Catherine asked by way of greeting.

"At Prosper's office. Listen, what's the address for the auto warehouse that Max Bridgford owns?" Grissom inquired.

"Hold on a second while I check the file." Catherine instructed him. Gil tapped his fingers in anticipation until Catherine gave him the address. He was pleased when he realized that the warehouse was only a few streets over from his current location.

"What's this about Gil?" she asked as worry started to creep into her voice.

"I'm playing a hunch." Grissom answered and promptly hung up.

He bolted from the chair and practically flew past the officer who had let him inside the office. He hopped into his vehicle and took off for the warehouse without hesitation. His despair and frustration were fading away only to be replaced by a renewed since of vigor. He was getting that feeling, the one that told him he was right on the edge of an important clue. With any luck, he'd find it just in time.

* * *

Nick stifled a yawn. Some of the tension he had been feeling was starting to wane and he was getting a bit bored. No one had come to see them since Nathan had left a few hours ago. Donna remained immobile and was so quiet that Nick was almost certain that she had fallen asleep. That was something Nick had not allowed himself to do. He was trying to stay vigil so he could perhaps find a way to save them, but he was tired of sitting in this chair and he was tired of waiting. Part of him just wanted Levi to come up here and play with his mind so he'd have something to react to. If they were going to kill him, they should just get it over with because all this waiting was getting old.

Nick couldn't believe that this was how he was going to die. It wasn't that he needed to die a glorious, heroic death. It was just that if he was going to die young, he had kinda hoped that it would be for a purpose like saving someone's life or trying to apprehend the bad guy. A death that took place in the line of duty had a bit more meaning to it and though it did not make the suffering of the surviving loved ones any easier, it did make it a touch more bearable. At least, it did so in his mind. Nick especially did not relish the thought of being murdered at the hands of some wacky cult-like group. He wondered briefly what his parents were going to say when they found out that he had put himself in danger, not to mention the young girl he was trying to help, and then got himself executed along with eight other people.

As if reading his mind, the door opened and Nathan entered once again. Nick's senses immediately went on high alert and he was ready for action.

"It's almost time." Nathan said breathlessly. "I came up here to let you know that it's almost time for the purging to take place."

"You mean it's almost time for us to be murdered." Nick corrected him and was pleased to see how the boy hesitated at his words. He was going to be brutally honest with Nathan in an effort to shock him into his senses. He could tell that the boy was still uncertain and Donna was probably right about him. He was just a poor kid, who, craving the attention of a male figure, trusted the wrong person. He wasn't bad or crazy. Just misguided. It was time for Nathan's course to be altered. At least, Nick was going to give it a try.

"Why are you here, Nathan?" Nick asked, eyeing the boy like a stern schoolmaster.

Nathan shifted his gaze uncertainly before responding. "I told you. To prepare you for what is to come."

"No, I don't think that's why you're here at all." Nick said with a shake of his head.

"We've had this conversation before, Mr. Stokes. Your words have no meaning to me." Nathan said, trying to sound confident.

"And yet, here you are once again. Hesitant and unsure. Part of my job is to read people and I can read you like an open book, Nathan. A blind man could. Why are you fighting so hard against what you know is the right thing to do?" Nick asked with genuine concern.

The teenager opened his mouth to respond but words seemed to fail him. He rocked on his heels for a few seconds before turning towards the door, preparing to retreat. As he took a step closer to it, Nick said, "I know what it's like."

Nathan stopped in his tracks and turned around, regarding Nick with extreme caution. "What do you mean?'

Nick knew that this was literally his last chance to save himself and Donna. He had to make it count. Instead of only trying to convince Nathan that what he was doing was wrong, Nick had decided that a more powerful way to reach Nathan was to connect with him. After all, that's what he was good at. He might as well put that ability to use one last time. The CSI adopted an air that he hoped would make him appear confident and yet approachable.

"I know what it's like to crave the attention of someone who ignores you except when he's punishing you for something you've done wrong." Nick admitted truthfully.

"You don't know anything about me." Nathan said with a mixture of defiance and hesitancy.

Nick nodded. "Yes I do. You wanted your father to love you and to be the kind of dad who protected you from bad things instead of being the cause of them. That's what you wanted, but it's not what you got. Is it?"

Nathan rushed forward, almost shouting, "You don't know the kind of man he was! He was a bad man! I never wanted him to love me!"

"Yes you did. He was your father. All children want to be loved by their parents. There's nothing wrong with that. It's completely natural." Nick said with a smile.

Now it was time to move in to the crux of the matter. Nick knew his next words would be painful, but he was willing to guide Nathan through the pain in order to make him understand.

"But he didn't love you and you started to wonder why. Was there something wrong with you? Were you inherently unlovable? Did he blame you for your mom leaving? Why couldn't he see you for who you really were? Why did he only focus on your flaws?" Nick said quietly with an air of curiosity.

"Shut up!" Nathan said fiercely, striking Nick across the face.

Knowing he had struck a nerve, Nick did not back down. "But just as you were starting to believe that maybe you didn't deserve to be loved, someone came along and changed all that. You met Donna and you connected with her. She was dealing with the same things that you were. You discovered that you weren't alone and what's more, she fell in love with you. She saw your good qualities and she made you feel special."

"Stop it!" Nathan's face was red with anger and he reared back slugged Nick with all of his might, the full weight of his fury propelling his fist. It connected with Nick's mouth and nose, making his head fly backwards.

Dazed but unafraid, Nick pressed on with his confidence mounting. He knew he was treading a thin line but if he was successful, it would all be worth it. "Even though you found someone like Donna, the close bond you shared with her could not overshadow your desire to connect with your father. You tried desperately to get his attention. You acted out in school, but he still wouldn't talk to you. Instead, he sent you to a psychologist. That's when you met Levi. Here was a man who paid attention to you. He seemed to genuinely care about you and want to help you. He treated you the way that your father should have treated you. But that man is not what he seems. He's a murderer."

Nathan struck Nick again, his eyes welling up with tears. "That's not true! You're a liar! Take it back!"

"It is true! He killed his father when he was just about your age and now, he's made you kill your father. Why? Not because he cares about you, Nathan, because if he did, he wouldn't be making you hurt Donna. No, he's manipulating you, using you to get back at his own father and he's been dead for years! This, all of this, is about Levi and his own personal needs. It has nothing to do with you or anyone else." Nick raised his voice to make his point.

"Stop lying! That's not true!" Nathan punctuated his words by hitting Nick for the third time.

Blood was starting to trickle down from his nose, but Nick ignored it. He had heard the change in Nathan's voice. The anger was receding, giving way to deep-rooted pain. "You know it is! Think about it! You're a smart guy! Don't let him make you do what you don't want to do! Don't let him hurt the one person who has truly shown you love!"

Nathan grabbed Nick's shirt collar and pulled it towards him. He began to hit the CSI repeatedly. Years of abuse and neglect seemed to be fueling the young man. Nick refused to flinch from Nathan's sudden outburst of violence. If Nathan needed an outlet, Nick would be it. Between punches, Nick could see the tears streaking from the boy's eyes and could not help but pity the boy.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The fight within the boy seemed to have died and he was rapidly falling apart. His weary form collapsed onto Nick so that the young man was practically sitting in his lap. Nathan released Nick's shirt collar and let his hand slip behind Nick's neck instead. He had buried his face into Nick's shoulder and was now howling with sadness. Like a drowning man, Nathan clutched to Nick as if he were a life preserver.

Nick was trying to keep mastery over his own emotions. He felt complete and utter sadness at seeing this young man fall apart. This poor boy had been used and abused his whole life. He had been manipulated into becoming a murderer and it was nearly impossible to make that kind of thing right. He also felt the tiniest spark of hope being kindled within. With Nathan's breakdown, perhaps things were starting to turn in his favor. Perhaps this situation could be salvaged and lives could be saved.

Finally, Nathan's tears subsided. He lifted his head and stared into Nick's battered face.

"Help me." he whispered, his eyes pleading with the CSI.

"I will." Nick promised. "But first, you have to help me."


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Arriving at the desired location, Grissom parked his SUV behind some crates. He stepped out and surveyed the warehouse, making sure to keep himself hidden behind the crates. It was almost the middle of the night and yet there were lights on inside. The area was secluded, which was ideal for what Prosper was planning to do, and the warehouse was definitely large enough to hide nineteen people. This had to be the spot.

Without making the conscious decision to do so, Grissom unholstered his gun. The cool metal felt odd in his grip. It had been unusual for him to be wearing a gun and now here he was holding it in his hands. He was not one to consider himself a hero, but under the circumstances, he had no choice. He wasn't about to let Nick or anyone else die if he could prevent it.

Nick.

Grissom hesitated slightly at the thought of his CSI. What must Nick be going through right now? What emotions must he be dealing with? Was he hurt? What would he say when he saw Nick? Grissom knew what needed to be said, but would he be able to say it?

Placing a hand on one of the crates so as to steady himself, Grissom pushed those thoughts from his mind. There were too many questions and none of them stood the slightest chance of being answered if he just stayed out here in the dark. He had to get inside. That's where he was needed.

Quickly and quietly, Grissom made his way towards the warehouse. He couldn't help but feel like some character in an action film about to rush in to save the day. Those guys always seemed so brave and so collected. He, in contrast, felt as if he were about to be sick. So much was weighing on his every move. He couldn't shake the feeling that with his every step he was deciding the fate of all the people inside the warehouse, and yet, he did not alter course. He had made his decision and he would see it through.

There would be no turning back for Gil Grissom.

* * *

Once Nathan had freed them, Nick turned to the teenagers and issued orders. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get you out of here and then we're going to find the nearest phone and call for help. I'm vastly outnumbered and I'm not about to risk your lives in an attempt to save everyone else. Nathan, what's the quickest way out of this place?"

"Down the stairs and through the main room. There's a door on the other side." Nathan told him. He rushed on to say, "But I'm not going. I'm staying to help you."

Nick shook his head. "That is not open for discussion. I want you out of here."

"Look, Levi should be on the other side of the warehouse with the others by now. That's where the victims are being held. Levi's getting ready to perform the preparation ceremony. If I'm not there soon, someone's going to come looking for me. Disappearing would be a bad idea." Nathan stared Nick, looking quite mutinous.

Nick's eyes searched Nathan's face. The young man's resolve was clearly evident. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy had a point. Nathan's sudden disappearance might prompt Levi to start putting his plan into motion and that's the last thing that Nick wanted to have happen.

Nathan met Nick's gaze unflinchingly. "Please. Let me do this. I want to help. I need to help."

Nick ran a hand through his hair, weighing his options. They were running out of time. Maybe Nathan could stall things until the police arrived. However, if his duplicity was uncovered, the consequences would be disastrous. He wondered if Nathan truly understood the ramifications of what he was suggesting.

"Do you understand what will happen to you if they figure out that you're not on their side anymore?" Nick asked.

Nathan nodded. "I understand and I'm willing to take that risk."

Feeling as if he was issuing a death order, Nick nodded in assent. "I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks, but if the opportunity should present itself, stall them. An extra five minutes may be the difference between life and death. Now, point us in the right direction so we can get out of here and get help."

Donna grabbed Nick's arm. "Wait. What about Ally and Matt? We can't leave those kids here. I won't go without them."

Nick gritted his teeth in frustration. The situation was bad enough without continually being presented with complications, but he agreed with Donna. He didn't want to leave the kids either. They had been through enough already.

Nick turned back to Nathan. "Where are they being held?"

"On this side of the building. There's another set of stairs in the main room that lead up to an office that overlooks it. The kids are in there." Nathan informed him.

Nick thought for a moment. There might be a way to kill two birds with one stone. "There should be a phone in the office. We might be able to call for help from there. Did Levi have the phone lines cut?"

"No, I don't think so." Nathan said.

"Good." Nick allowed himself a brief smile. Perhaps things were starting to go their way. "Now, let's get out of here."

Silently, they made their way down the stairs and into the hallway that lead to the main room. Nathan was in the lead as he was the only one people would be expecting to see moving around the warehouse. He was prepared to give the signal if the others needed to take cover. Nick and Donna remained a few paces behind him, trying to keep to the shadows as best as possible. Thankfully, the hall was line with boxes, making it possible for them to stay relatively hidden.

Once they reached the door, Nathan stepped through it to make sure it was clear. After doing so, he waved for the others to follow him. They hugged the wall, doing their best to stay hidden. Nick was paying strict attention to his surroundings, listening for the slightest sound that could not be attributed to his party. Part of him couldn't believe that things were going so smoothly. There had been no sign of anyone. It was almost a touch creepy. Where were they? Why hadn't anyone come looking for Nathan if he wasn't where he was supposed to be?

As if in direct response to his question, he heard it. The sound of soft footfalls just ahead of them. Like them, the mystery person was taking great care to stay hidden. Levi and his followers had no reason to hide so this must be some third party. Whoever it was, Nick had no way of knowing if they were friend or foe and he wasn't about to let Nathan meet them first.

Nick reached forward and grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt and moved in front of him, receiving a puzzled look from the young man as he did this. Nick held his finger up to his mouth, signaling for both teenagers to be quiet. Remaining completely still, Nathan and Donna heard the footsteps coming nearer to them and their bodies immediately tensed.

Nick peered cautiously out from behind a box, waiting to see who was about to pass by. His heart was pounding with expectation, but nothing could have prepared him for what was about to happen. The footsteps of the stranger brought his form into view, allowing Nick to glimpse the man's face. The sight nearly took his breath away.

"Grissom?" he whispered, stepping out so he could be seen.

Grissom whirled around, his gun held high. It took him a few seconds to recognize who was in front of him.

"Nick." he said, lowering his gun. He walked towards his CSI and taking in his battered appearance, asked "Are you okay? What happened to your face?"

Nick held up a hand and gingerly touched his face. "Oh, that's nothing. I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I came here looking for you." Grissom responded, suddenly feeling awkward.

Nick closed his mouth, uncertain of what to say. He wanted to ask why Grissom had come looking for him. He wanted to ask why Grissom had risked his personal safety for his sake. He wanted to know why, but he knew that now wasn't the time for a heart-to-heart. They could do that later.

"We don't have much time left, Grissom. Donna and I were going to grab the Alcott kids and call for help. Nathan was going to rejoin the group and try to stall the main event." Nick gestured with his hand to the two teens standing in the shadows.

"Nathan?" Grissom asked in surprise. "Nathan Sanford?"

Nick nodded. "He freed us, Grissom. He wants to help us."

Grissom gave Nick a swift, piercing look as if to question Nathan's reliability.

"Trust me." Nick said confidently, his gaze unwavering.

"I do." Grissom replied quietly.

There was yet another pause at this statement as Nick felt a warm wave of surprise and relief wash over him. He lowered his head so that Grisson could not see the mixture of emotions his face was showing. When he had composed himself, he looked back up and said, "Now let's get those kids and get out of here."

"Well isn't this a nice, little reunion?" Levi's voice sounded from behind them.

The group whirled around to see the man standing before them. They had been so distracted by the presence of Grissom that they had not been paying attention to their surroundings. Levi had slipped up on them completely unnoticed.

"Mr. Grissom, I had thought that you wouldn't be so foolish as to risk your life for Mr. Stokes, but I see that I was wrong. You are a fool." Levi sneered. He continued speaking but his words didn't seem to be meant for Grissom. "Only a fool would try to protect, love, and nurture someone who was completely unworthy of his attention."

Contrary to his normal appearance, Levi appeared to be on the verge of a fit of rage. His face was red, his eyes were almost popping, and there was a slight tremble running through his body. Nick was certain that he could guess the reason for this uncharacteristic display of emotion as he felt Nathan stiffen next to him.

"Nathan, I would ask you what you are doing but it is blatantly obvious. You are betraying me. You chose the girl over me after all that I have done for you." Levi said with hatred.

As Nathan stepped forward to address Levi, it was hard to say which face showed more hatred. "You used me. You manipulated me. You made me a murderer. I'm not going to let you pull my strings anymore."

"Is that what he told you?" Levi spat, pointing a condemning finger at Nick. "What would he know? Are you really going to trust his word over mine after all I've done for you?"

"Yes." Nathan nodded with a small smile.

Levi took a menacing step toward Nathan and Grissom sprang into action. He raised his gun and pointed it at Levi. "Take another step and I will shoot you."

Prosper stopped in his tracks and held still for a few seconds. Grissom was quite prepared for the man to fly at him, but instead he watched with some amazement as the rage seemed to melt away from Levi's body. He chuckled softly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"It seems that the rashness of Mr. Stokes has rubbed off on you, Mr. Grissom. If you fire that gun, my followers will come rushing into this room. You are outnumbered and while only one of your party is armed, that is not the case with my people. Do you think that you stand a chance against them? My people are ready to die. Are yours, Mr. Grissom?" Levi said mockingly.

Those words chilled Grissom to the bone. So far his dramatic rescue wasn't going the way that he had hoped it would. Even though Grissom was the one with the gun, Prosper seemed to have all the power. There had to be something that he could do to shift the balance in his favor. An idea crossed his mind and as it was his only option, he thought it was worth trying. Grissom opened his mouth to speak, but Levi held up a hand.

"Do not try to force me to come with you. Do not threaten to tie me up so that you can escape. It is too late for your idle threats. We are past all of that now." Levi told him quietly. "Right now, my people are gathered in the next room, waiting for those who have wronged them to be punished. They have waited so long to achieve peace and I will not let you stand in the way of that."

Grissom could feel the pounding of his heart double in intensity. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Prosper's entire attitude was completely unnerving. Levi was too calm, too collected. He hadn't called for help and Grissom suddenly realized that was because he didn't need any.

Levi's face was serenely calm and his voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke but Grissom heard every syllable he uttered. "Do you know what the difference between you and me is, Mr. Grissom? I am not afraid to act. Do you know why I'm not afraid to act? It is because I am confident that I have the trust and love of my people. And for these reasons, I will accomplish my goal."

Levi quickly broke eye contact with Grissom and focused his attention on a small object that he had been concealing in his hand. Grissom followed suit and suddenly realized what it was that Levi was holding.

A detonator.

In the fraction of a second it took for Grissom's mind to make the decision to fire his gun, Levi pressed the button and the world erupted.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

A series of blasts took place, the force of which rocked the building and sent everyone crashing to the ground. Boxes toppled over, causing some of them to spill their contents onto the floor. Nick instinctively covered his head to protect it from the falling debris and when it appeared that things had stopped falling, he raised his head to assess the damage. He could see Nathan trying to help Donna and Grissom attempting to shift a rather large piece of wood off of his lower body. He got to his feet, meaning to help his boss, when Levi spoke up.

Covered in dust, he had a cut on his cheek and a manic glint in his eye and there was no mistaking his exuberance. "I told you that you could not stop me! The guilty have been judged and they have been punished! May the purging fire consume you as well!"

As if to punctuate his statement, another explosion took place in the room they were in. A tank exploded in a ball of fire, sending flames almost ten feet into the air. Smoke filled the air and the room suddenly became a furnace. Nick threw up a hand to shield his face from the blasting heat. He felt someone ram into him, knocking him to the ground once again. He turned his head and saw that Levi had rushed towards the door that he had just come through a few minutes ago. Before he could decide whether to rush after him or not, Nathan gave a shout of fury and took up chase behind the retreating form of Levi. Nick shouted for the boy to come back, but Nathan did not heed him. He got to his feet with every intention to follow them when yet another explosion sent him to his knees.

As he raised his head, the CSI suddenly became acutely aware of the danger he was in. Smoke was filling the room and rising high in the air, making it difficult to see any farther than a few feet in front of him. Flames were springing to life all around him, consuming everything that stood in their path. This building wasn't safe. Whatever device Levi had rigged up was clearly doing its job and it would only get worse the longer they stayed here. They had to get out. Now.

All of a sudden, a door burst open on the other side of the room, interrupting Nick's thoughts and he shifted his eyes to glimpse inside the room where Levi's prisoners had been held. It was filled with orange and yellow flames and Nick realized with an incredible sense of sorrow that those people, the people he had tried to save, were most likely dead. But he was not given time to mourn. The sight of the room was blocked by the emergence of a figure covered in flames. Nick watched in horror as the person ran frantically around, crashing into things and spreading the fire in the process. Finally the person's body gave out and the human torch went crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

This sight caused Nick to spring into action. He shot a look at his boss and shouted over the roar of the fire. "Grissom! We have to get out of here now! This place is going to go up in flames!"

Grissom responded by getting to his feet and grabbing Donna's arm, but the girl wrenched it free.

"The children! We have to save them!" she yelled frantically and raced off towards the stairs.

Nick had no choice but to follow her. If he abandoned Donna and allowed her to risk her own life in order to save Ally and Matthew just for the sake of saving his own skin, he'd never be able to live with himself. Besides, she couldn't do it on her own. She needed his help and he was not about to deny it to her.

The girl was running as if possessed. Nick could barely keep up with her as she dodged the flames in order to get to the stairs. What made it more difficult was that the smoke construed his vision and made his eyes sting. He coughed and sputtered, but he did not let that slow him down.

Nick could sense Grissom's presence right behind him and he wondered vaguely what had motivated his supervisor's sudden change of heart. Surely when he had decided to come here, Grissom had considered all of the consequences. So Grissom must have been willing to put his life on the line in order to rescue him. But why? Grissom had made his opinion of him quite clear not too long ago and it hadn't been good. What had provoked this sudden change in feeling?

His internal thoughts were cut short by his having to dive to the left to avoid a falling beam. He hit the ground with a thud that left him winded, but he was relatively unsinged. Strong arms grabbed him from behind, helping him to his feet, and Nick turned to look into Grissom's face. For a moment, their eyes connected and even though no words were actually said, Nick couldn't help but feel that everything was going to be okay between them.

Assuming they made it out of the building that is.

Once Nick was back on his feet, he continued to make his way to the stairs with Grissom at his side. They darted through the flames, shielding their faces from the smoke and the fire's heat. Up ahead, he could just make out Donna running up the stairs. The girl seemed to be fueled by some intensity that moved her beyond all fear of their surroundings and made her only capable of focusing on the single task of saving the Alcott children. Not to be outdone, the CSIs pounded up the stairs after her.

They reached the office and found Donna frantically working to untie Allison. Both children were crying, uncertain of what exactly was going on. All they had known was that the building was on fire and no one had come to save them despite the fact they had been screaming for help. Now that help appeared to have arrived, they had dissolved into uncontrollable sobs and began struggling against their bonds.

Nick knelt beside Donna and worked on the ropes that held Matthew's hands together, but the knot was tied so tightly that it would have taken a few minutes for Nick to make any headway. Donna and Grissom were now pulling Allison's ropes away from her body and helping the small girl to her feet. Aware that they were losing precious seconds, Nick gave up trying to untie Matt. Instead, he grabbed the little boy and held him to his chest.

"Let's go!" he ordered, getting to his feet.

Grissom nodded in agreement as Donna grabbed Allison's hand and pulled her towards the door. Grissom took great care to stay right behind them. He held an arm out protectively, ready to shield the girls from any debris that might fall upon them. They made their way to the stairs, Nick and Matthew a few paces behind them.

The fire was raging now and hellbent on destruction. The flames had crept closer while they had been in the office and they had begun to snake up the wooden staircase, making Donna hesitant as to whether or not it was safe to proceed.

"We have to go one at a time! It doesn't look sturdy enough to support all of us at once and the last thing we need is to have it collapse! Go now, Donna!" Grissom yelled above the flames. He scooped Allison into his arms as the young girl made her way down the stairs as quickly and carefully as she could.

Grissom shot an apprehensive look at Nick, who was behind him. He seemed on the verge of saying something but Nick cut him off.

"Go! You know the way out! I'll be right behind you! Promise! You have to get those girls out of here!" Nick shouted.

Grissom nodded and began his descent. Once he had safely reached the bottom, he only allowed himself one backwards glance to make sure Nick and Matt were making it down the stairs without any trouble before leading the way towards the door. He knew where it was as he had used it to enter the building not too long ago.

As they rushed through the blaze, Grissom kept a hand covering Allison's face while Donna kept a hand on his arm. He guided the them without fear, knowing that their survival was depending on his ability to lead them safely to the other side. He had to keep his eyes forward, staying focused on finding the door he knew was just ahead of him. He could not spare the luxury of looking behind him to check on Nick and Matt, but he was confident that they were right behind him.

Finally, he spotted it. The door. Safety from the flames and the smoke lay just a few feet away.

Now that the prize was in sight, he redoubled his effort and ran flat out towards the door. With an overwhelming sense of relief, he pushed it open and ran out into the cool of the night. Immediately, he began to cough madly. He fought the urge to drop to his knees and gulp down the sweet, clean air. Instead, he put Allison on the ground and looked up to see two fire trucks pulling up in front of the warehouse.

Realizing that someone must have raised the alarm, he shouted to Donna, "Get her out of here! Run towards the fire trucks!"

Donna swiftly grabbed the little girl's hand and pulled her in the direction of the firemen who were tumbling out of their trucks and running towards the burning building. Grissom turned to make sure that Nick and Matthew had made it out safely, but to his horror, he saw no one behind him. He looked frantically around, hoping that maybe the two had slipped out unnoticed but they were nowhere to be found.

Panic gripped him as he realized that something must have happened to Nick. Perhaps something had fallen on him and he was hurt, unable to make it to the door. Perhaps he had run too fast and Nick had lost sight of him in all that smoke. He could even now be wandering around lost in the warehouse, trying to find his way out. Grissom couldn't just stand here while Nick was trapped inside. He had to do something.

Grissom's feet suddenly began to take him back towards the burning building, but he did not get far before a set of strong arms grabbed him from behind.

"Sir! You can't go in there! It isn't safe!" a man shouted in his ear.

Unable to fully comprehend the warning, Grissom clawed madly at the hands that held him in an attempt to get free. He twisted and turned, trying to somehow break the hold the man had on him. He was like an animal fighting for its very survival and he wasn't about to give up. Another pair of hands grabbed onto him and he felt himself being dragged away from the building.

Away from Nick.

"No!" he shouted in desperation. "They're still in there! They should have been right behind me! Something must have happened! You have to let me go! I have to help them!"

A fireman appeared in front of him and firmly grasped his shoulders. He forced Grissom to look him in the eyes. "We will find them! I promise! Now stand back so we can do our job!"

Whether it was the tone of the fireman's voice, the look in his eyes, or the words he used, the desired effect took place. Grissom quit struggling and grew calm. Now feeling that they could safely leave him, the firemen that had been restraining him took off to join the others who were already working to tame the blaze.

The harshness of reality smothered Grissom like a heavy blanket. So much for heroics. So much for taking care of his people. So much for stopping the bad guy. He had lost and Levi had won. Just like he said he would.

Grissom stood rooted in his spot. He had lost all feeling. He had lost the ability to move. He had lost all capacity for thought. All he could do was stare at the flames that danced before him as they separated him from the one person he had risked everything to save.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

When Grissom had turned around and shot an apprehensive look his way, Nick had known instinctively what he was about to say. He could see it in his eyes. However, Nick was not going to let him do it. It wasn't that he was trying to be heroic or something. If anything, he was being logical. After all, he wasn't the one who knew the way out.

"Go! You know the way out! I'll be right behind you! Promise! You have to get those girls out of here!" Nick shouted over the roar of the flames.

Thankfully, Grissom did not protest his orders. He merely nodded before turning to head down the stairs. Nick could feel his heart pounding hard against his rib cage as he watched Grissom make his way carefully, clutching the frightened form of Allison Alcott tightly to his chest. He shifted his gaze down to the own small bundle he held in his arms. Matthew had squeezed his eyes shut and had handfuls of Nick's shirt gripped tightly in his tiny hands as if holding on for dear life. The boy was visibly trembling with fear so Nick brought him even closer to him, hoping that it might provide a stronger sense of security.  
If he had been alone, Nick might have been scared. The rising flames, the billowing smoke, and the intense heat might have frightened him. He might have feared that he'd never find his way out of this firetrap. But he did not have time for fear. Not when this small boy was counting on him to save his life. For Nick, there could be no stronger motivation than that.

When Grissom reached the bottom of the stairs, Nick began his descent. Acutely aware that time was not on his side, he moved quickly and barely allowed his foot to land on the step before he moved it to the next one. Reflexes born of hours and hours of sports practice served him well. He took his eyes momentarily off his feet in time to see Grissom turn and begin to make his way towards the exit.

Without warning, Nick suddenly went crashing to his knees and fell forward. He threw out one hand to prevent himself from falling all the way to the ground and crushing Matt underneath his weight. He stayed like this for a few seconds in an attempt to catch his breath. 

'Must have missed the last step. Nice time to be falling on my face.' Nick muttered to himself.

Nick tried to push himself to a kneeling position so he could get back on his feet, but the moment he tried to do so, he became instantly aware of an intense pain in his gut. Momentarily blinded by it, he unconsciously let go of Matt so that both hands could clutch his stomach. Matt immediately curled up into a ball, hugging his feet to his chest and burying his face into his knees.

What was wrong with him? In addition to the pain, he could now feel an odd tickling sensation spreading down the lower half of his body and he became conscious of the fact that his hands were wet. With a feeling of great dread, he pulled his hands away from his stomach and peered down to look at them. They were stained red.

Blood. His blood.

'_No. Oh, no. Not this. Not now.' _he thought anxiously.

Panic-stricken, he looked up, hoping to be able to shout out to Grissom for help, but Grissom was nowhere to be found. He had taken Nick's promise to be right behind him seriously and had trudged on through the flames, leaving Nick uncertain of the way out. He was all alone.

Or was he?

Levi suddenly appeared on his left holding a gun and things started to make sense. Cradling Matt in his arms had left his stomach exposed and Levi had shot him. He hadn't heard the gun go off over the roaring of the fire. It seemed that Levi was intent on making him pay for his interference.

"Poor Mr. Stokes! Left here to die alone! I guess Mr. Grissom cared more about saving his own skin than making sure you got out okay!" Levi shouted as he moved closer.

Still on his knees, Nick panted, trying to stay focused on the man in front of him rather than the overwhelming pain he was in. He noticed that Levi's face was bruised and bloodied. He was bleeding from numerous cuts all over his body and he was limping slightly. It appeared that Nathan had indeed caught up with Levi and had unleashed all of his rage and pain upon the man he had once considered a father. But if Levi was standing before him, where was Nathan? A wave of anger and sorrow swept over Nick as he feared the worst.

"Where's Nathan? What did you do to him?" Nick yelled, his face contorting with rage.

"Like the others, he has been judged and punished." Levi smirked, pleased at the response his words had on Nick.

"You killed him! How could you do that after you claimed to love him so much? I guess you really didn't care anything about him!" Nick spat out angrily.

Levi strode forward, the gun held tightly in his hand. "I was prepared to give that boy everything! To show him a new world that was full of joy! But he threw everything, all that I had done for him, back in my face! He betrayed me and everything I stand for! Nathan was not worthy of my love!"

Both men were so consumed with fury that they seemed to be unaware of their surroundings. The fire was going strong now, complete with a mind of its own, but they paid no heed to it. They were locked in an angry battle of wills.

"You betrayed him! You made him a murderer! You tried to make him a monster just like you!" Nick's heart was pounding rapidly and despite his injury, he felt ready to throw himself at the man before him and show him the true meaning of pain.

Levi shook his head in pity. "Even now, your feeble mind cannot grasp the greatness of what I have done. I believe the problem is that I started too late with Nathan. His mind had already been corrupted when I met him. I tried to help him change, but in the end, it could not be done. Perhaps if he had been younger I would have had more success with him."

Levi stood about two feet from Nick and had raised the gun, poising it just inches from his forehead. Nick stared back into his face unflinchingly. He watched as Levi shot a glance at the trembling form of Matthew Alcott.

"Perhaps I shall start over again with this boy. Now that he's an orphan, he could really use a strong father figure. Just think of all that I'll be able to show him." The crazed glint was back in Levi's eyes as he said this. Nick shuddered at the thought of Prosper twisting the innocent mind of Matthew and making him into something altogether horrific. He wasn't going to let him do that. Not while he still had a breath in his body.

Without warning, Nick launched himself at Levi and knocked the man backwards. A struggle for the gun immediately took place as Nick tried to wrestle the gun away from Prosper's hands. The men clawed at each other in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Nick jammed his elbow into his Levi's face which caused the man's hand to loosen its grip on the gun. Nick watched as the gun slid a few feet away. He tried to move in its direction, but as he did so, Levi landed a punch in Nick's stomach, causing the CSI to cry out loudly in pain.

Immediately, Nick rolled away and curled up in a fetal position in an attempt to protect his wounded area from further assault. His breathing became ragged as he tried not to black out as the waves of pain washed over him. It was like nothing he had ever felt before and he fought desperately to keep himself from screaming again. It was completely paralyzing which allowed Levi to scramble to his feet and pick the gun up again.

Levi stood over Nick with the gun pointing at him and his finger resting lightly on the trigger. "This is the end for you, Mr. Stokes! I warned you from the very beginning to stay out of my way!"

Nick gritted his teeth in defiance and did his best to rid his face of any pain and fear he was feeling. If this truly was his final moment, he wasn't going to give Levi the satisfaction of showing any sign of weakness.

This time, Nick heard the unmistakable sound of a gun going off, but instead of being plunged into darkness, Nick watched in surprise as Levi's body fell to the ground. Nick whipped his head around and saw Nathan standing a few feet away holding a gun in his outstretched hands. The boy's face was pale and bloody. He had a deep, gaping wound in his abdomen that had covered his whole lower left side in blood.

Lowering his gun, Nathan stumbled over to Nick. The older man was not able to contain his surprise and relief. "He said that you were dead!"

Nathan gave him a faint smile. "He was wrong."

Nathan bent down and struggled to help Nick to his feet. He then went over to Matthew and stooped to pick the little boy up. Nick was taking deep breaths, trying to gather enough strength to continue his trek through flames when Nathan appeared at his side and placed Matthew in his arms.

"The door is straight ahead. Go straight. Always straight. I'll be right behind you." Nathan said loudly in Nick's ear.

As if on some kind of autopilot, Nick walked in the direction Nathan had indicated. One foot in front of the other as fast as possible. He paid no attention to what was on the right or the left of him, but he kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him.

Nathan staggered forward, hoping to follow in their wake, but he legs collapsed from under him and he went crashing to the ground. Every last ounce of his energy had been spent trying to find Levi and prevent him from hurting anyone else and he had done his job. Nathan looked up and watched with relief as Nick and Matt disappeared into the swirling smoke. They would make it. Of that, he was confident. A tiny smile crossed his face as his eyes closed for the final time.

Nick was trudging forward to the best of his ability, acutely aware of how the pain in his gut was growing with intensity. Try though he may, he could not ignore it. He had not gone more than twenty feet when the world suddenly seemed to swim before him. His legs were becoming more wobbly with each step he took. Still, Nick pressed forward, his strong determination to survive pushing him to the limit.

As he took another step, he didn't quite raise his foot up enough and the tip of his shoe skidded across the floor. This threw him off balance and brought him to his knees. Once down, his body did not seem to want to get up again.

'_No! You can't stop! You have to get up! You have to save this little boy! He's counting on you!' _he told himself fiercely.

He tried to drag himself to his feet, but the room was spinning so badly that he wasn't sure which way was up. Closing his eyes, he steadied himself and managed to get to his knees, Matt was still in his arms. With a cry of frustrated determination, he got to his feet and opened his eyes. He took a step forward and then another one.

Tired. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was sit down and rest. He could feel his strength fading too. Where was the door? How far was it? Surely he had to be near it. After all, the room wasn't that big. He told himself that he could make it a few more steps. He would make it a few more steps. If he just kept pushing himself, he would reach the door at any moment.

But in the end, his sure will could not save him. Finally, his body gave out. Overcome with pain and fatigue, Nick fell to the ground and the yellow and orange flames faded into oblivion.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"How did it all come to this?" Gil whispered.

Brass remained silent. He knew Grissom wasn't really expecting an answer - a thing for which he was immensely grateful because he had no answer to give. Brass knew that no answer would satisfy him either. To say he was concerned about the scientist would be an understatement. He'd never seen Grissom so utterly lost. It was hard enough to deal with his own emotions right now, but to see Grissom sitting on that crate like that just added to the sorrow he was feeling. The usually emotionless man was wearing his heart on his sleeve and Brass could hardly bear to look at him.

More than anything, Brass knew that Grissom was upset about Nick and the way he had been treating him for the past month. It had been obvious that things were not right between them, but Brass had not felt that it was his place to say anything. He regretted that decision now. Perhaps if he'd voiced his concerns to Grissom, things would be different. But it was futile to engage in such thoughts at this point. The past could not be changed and all he could do now was wait and see what the future brought.

"I left him in there, Jim. I left him behind. Why did I do that? He's my guy, my responsibility, and I left him behind." Grissom's voice was quiet and expressionless as he shook his head in confusion.

Brass shook his head in disagreement. When he had arrived on the scene, a fireman had explained what had happened based on what he had gathered from Grissom. The scientist was being too hard on himself and Jim wasn't going to let him do it.

"You didn't leave Nick on purpose. You thought he was right behind you and it's not like you turned and ran out of that building with no thought except saving your own skin. You were helping Donna and Allison like you were supposed to. You were making sure they got out of that fire alive. They wouldn't have made it out without you. You saved their lives." Brass tried to offer the man some encouragement.

Grissom would not be appeased. "I made a mess of everything. This is all my fault. I never got to explain things to him and tell him that I'm sorry. Now it's all too late."

"Hey, don't say that. Nick's gonna be fine. You'll see." the detective tried to sound more confident than he felt. Truth was he was scared that it _was_ too late. If those firemen didn't find Nick soon, there would be nothing left to find.

"Why is it so hard to tell some people what you're feeling? Why is it so hard to understand your own emotions?" Gil asked breathlessly. He stared hard at his hands as if expecting to find the answers to his questions written on them.

"Hey pal, you're asking the wrong guy. If I knew the answer to that, I probably wouldn't be divorced." Brass smiled wistfully.

"I'm serious, Jim." The CSI finally turned to look at his friend. "Why is it so hard for me to tell Nick what I'm really feeling? Why is it so hard for me to tell him anything?"

The scientist looked away and shook his head sadly. "We're so different. Like night and day. Maybe that's the problem."

"I think you're more alike than you realize and I think he knew how you felt." Jim answered seriously.

"How could he? I made his life a living hell for the past month and refused to listen to him. I gave him no respect and continually illustrated to him just how little faith I had in him and his abilities." Grissom looked away again, overcome with shame as he remembered some of the terrible words he had said to Nick.

"You may not be good at expressing yourself verbally, Gil, but your actions spoke volumes. You busted your tail to find him and when you did, you put yourself at personal risk to help him. Trust me. In the end, Nick knew." Brass placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "And in case he didn't get it, you'll have the chance to tell him soon."

Gil shook his head in uncertainty and his mind searched for a way to change to subject. He suddenly was struck by the presence of Jim Brass and the firemen. When he was in shock, he hadn't really asked why they were there at all. He had just taken their presence for granted. But now that he was starting to think a bit more clearly, he wondered who had called them. He certainly hadn't called for backup. That was just another illustration of how he had royally screwed up.

"How did you even know I was here? I didn't call for backup." Grissom asked, unable to keep the guilt out of his voice.

Brass politely overlooked it though as he knew Grissom couldn't handle any more blame being dumped on him right now. "Catherine told me to get down here. She was worried about you and wanted me to back you up. So I got in my car and came over here. I arrived here when the bomb went off so I called the firemen and then requested more backup as I wasn't sure what was going on here."

Grissom nodded. Good work, Catherine. Just another example of her cooler head prevailing over his. Of course she would have had the sense to call Brass. After all, she wasn't the one running around half-cocked like some madman. She wasn't the one who had verbally assaulted her coworker. She was the one who had tried to prevent him from falling into folly on more than one occasion recently. He really ought to start paying more attention to what she said. She was a smart woman.

"Did anyone else get out alive?" Grissom inquired. That was yet another question that he hadn't asked. Up until Nick went missing, he had been plagued by the thought of seven people dying, and then when Nick was gone, he had been plagued by the thought of Nick dying and had shifted those seven people to the back burner of his concern. When the bomb went off though, Grissom suddenly had realized that anyone, whether victim or suspect, would be considered lucky to get out alive.

Brass sighed. "Just before the cavalry arrived, a few people came running out of the blaze. Despite being covered with soot, I recognized them as some of our suspects. I ordered them to get on the ground and they complied, which was no shock given their current physical state. They were coughing up a storm and exhausted. Running for your life will do that. I had my guys book them when they showed up."

Brass reached inside the pocket of his coat and pulled out his notepad. He read off the names. "We arrested Rae Lynn Michaels, Denise Dayton, and Quentin Bowlin."

"That's only three people. There were twenty inside counting me. I got out with Donna and Allison. You're telling me that only six of us made it out alive?" Grissom asked astonished. He could hardly believe it.

"Six as of right now. The number is going to go up once they pull Nick and Matthew Alcott out." Brass tried with difficulty to inject some confidence into his statement. With every passing minute, his hope of finding Nick and that little boy alive was chipped away.

Grissom looked at the detective, his eyes filled with despair. "Do you really believe that?"

Brass smiled through the lie. "Of course I do. I'm never wrong about these types of things."

As if on cue, the firemen behind them began to shout. This shouting was different from what had been going on all this time. Now, one of them was shouting for an ambulance. Grissom and Brass perked up at this and turned to look behind them. They could see one fireman rushing out of the burning building with a small figure cradled in his arms.

'_Matthew.' _Grissom thought, his heart pounding. If they found Matthew, where was Nick? There was no way Nick had left Matthew alone. He had to have been nearby so where was he?

"Gil, look." Brass was on his feet, pointing in the direction of two firemen emerging from the blaze. They were supporting a limp figure between them, half carrying and half dragging him.

Suddenly, the man who had been rendered practically motionless for the past few minutes was on his feet, running towards the building as fast as his feet could carry him. He pushed his way past a group of firemen. They threw up their arms to try and stop him, but he shouted, "Get out of my way! That's my guy!"

Grissom was breathless when he reached the firemen holding Nick. They carefully laid the CSI on the ground and Grissom kneeled at his side.

"Is he okay?" he panted, staring intently into Nick's pale and dirty face. He barely registered Brass' presence at his side.

"He's inhaled a lot of carbon monoxide and he's appeared to have lost quite a bit of blood. He needs medical attention." A fireman pointed towards the nasty wound in Nick's gut, which was still bleeding freely.

Immediately, Grissom pressed his hand to the wound in order to stem the flow of blood. The pressure of his hand caused Nick to cry out loudly in pain, his eyes squeezed shut tightly, but Grissom did not remove his hand.

"This is a gunshot wound." Grissom said to no one in particular, not taking his eyes off Nick. What had happened? When he'd seen Nick last, he was a little bruised and banged up but fine otherwise. What other tragedy had befallen his CSI while his back was turned? Once again, feelings of failure resurfaced and threatened to overtake him. He had failed Nick. Again.

"Who shot him?" The entomologist allowed his eyes to briefly connect with the fireman's before he returned his focus to Nick.

"Dunno. Just found him that way. He was doing his best to get that little boy out of the fire, but he was really struggling. Poor guy didn't have a lot of strength and had just collapsed seconds before we reached him. He's quite a fighter." The fireman smiled in admiration.

"Yes he is." Grissom agreed.

As the blood seeped through his fingers, all Grissom could think about was how Nick's life could be pouring out of him right now and he had not been able to say any of the things he had been longing to say. Life was so wretchedly unfair at times. He had found Prosper's hideout. He had found Nick alive and well. For one brief moment, Grissom had believed that everything was going to be okay. Then it had all gone to hell.

'_Where is that ambulance?' _Grissom thought angrily to himself. He leaned forward and patted Nick's soot-covered cheek with a bloodstained hand in an effort to revive him. "Nick! Can you hear me?"

Nick's eyes flew open and the pain reflected in those brown eyes made Grissom wince. He knew that Nick must be in an incredible amount of pain. Nick seemed disoriented and his eyes darted around in confusion, but then they landed on Grissom. He held up his hand which Grissom immediately grasped with his free hand and held tightly.

"Nick, you're gonna be okay. The ambulance is coming." Grissom trying to offer what he prayed was not a false hope.

Nick did not seem to hear him though. He suddenly became agitated, his eyes searching for something. He tried to speak, but just ended up in a fit of coughing and clutching at his stomach with his other hand.

Understanding his concern, Grissom said, "Nick, Matthew's okay. The firemen pulled him out. You saved him. It's okay."

At these words, the tension in Nick's face eased slightly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, though he did not loosen his hold on Grissom's hand. Unwilling to move, Grissom sat by his side until the ambulance pulled up next to them. The EMTs came pouring out the back door and pushed Grissom to the side so they could begin to work on Nick. Then they loaded him onto the stretcher and into the ambulance.

As Grissom watched it drive away, he knew that he could have demanded to ride along. He could have refused to leave Nick's side and forced them to take him as well. But the truth was that he had been half afraid that they would have agreed to his request and he couldn't bear the thought of sitting in that ambulance while the EMTs worked frantically to save the life of his CSI. It was horrible enough that his own hands were stained with Nick's blood. Having to watch as they poked and prodded Nick in addition to seeing him covered in blood was something that he wasn't sure he could take.

Grissom stared down at his blood-covered hands and wondered if he would ever be able to look at his hands again without seeing them covered in Nick's blood. If Nick died, he knew that answer was no. Grissom watched as the ambulance turned the corner and disappeared, intensely aware that Nick's life was not the only one hanging in the balance.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

There is probably nothing worse than waiting and there is no worse location to be waiting in than the hospital. This is the place where life hung in the balance. There are so many variables that could mean the difference between life and death and there is absolutely nothing that you can do to affect the outcome. Everything is left up to fate and all you can do is wait and see what happens.

And that's what Gil Grissom was doing as he sat in his chair in the ER. Waiting.

As he waited, his mind envisioned what was most likely taking place down the hall. He could see a nurse getting a sample of Nick's blood so a match could be found. The IV lines Nick received in the field were now being replaced and he could see the fluids pouring into Nick's body. No doubt a doctor would be trying to find the source of the bleeding and making an attempt to stop it.

'_They're probably giving him a blood transfusion by now.'_ Grissom thought dully.

Of course, in his mind's eye, everything was going smoothly without any complications. In reality, especially given the luck he'd been having, things were probably very dire.

Thankfully, these thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Catherine hurrying through the door. Warrick, Sara and Greg were hot on her heels. Their faces and demeanors conveyed the state of their worried minds. They had refused to sit on the sidelines while Nick was fighting for his life. They wanted to be as near to him as they could be as a way of offering their support.

Grissom suddenly realized how much Nick meant to his entire team. All this time, he had been thinking about what Nick meant to him, but he meant so much to the team and the individuals who comprised it. What would it do to them and their ability to work together if Nick was lost? Grissom shuddered at this thought and endeavored to push it from his mind.

"How is he?" Catherine asked, rushing to Gil's side.

Grissom shook his head. "I don't know. I'm still waiting."

"What happened, Grissom? How did you even know where he was?" Warrick inquired as the party seated themselves around Grissom.

"I went back to Prosper's office in an attempt to see if we had missed something. I was looking for anything that might give us an indication of where Prosper and his people might be hiding. While I was there, I remembered that William Belanger had co-owned an auto repair warehouse with Max Bridgford. I thought that would be an ideal place for that large of a group to hide so I went to investigate." Grissom told him as weariness started to settle upon him.

He knew that he would have to tell them what had happened, supplying them with enough details so as to not create further questions, but he couldn't bring himself to explain his motivations for risking himself. Only Catherine had any inclination of his true feelings and he prayed that she would have the decency to remain quiet.

Grissom launched into an explanation of what happened when he arrived at the warehouse. He told them how he had met Nick, Nathan, and Donna. He related to the others how Levi had surprised him and triggered the bomb.

"The explosion sent us all to the ground and started the fire. Levi got to his feet and took off. Nathan followed him. I don't know what happened to them. Nick, Donna, and I went to get the Alcott children. On our way back out, we got separated somehow. I made it out with Donna and Allison Alcott and then discovered that Nick and Matthew weren't following me. I tried to go back inside to find them, but the firemen prevented me. So I waited." Grissom rubbed his forehead.

"Brass said Nick was shot. How did that happen?" Sara inquired, a bit confused.

Grissom shook his head. "I don't know. It happened when we got separated. I don't know who did it and I don't know how Nick got away. The firemen found no one else with them."

They all fell silent for a moment before Warrick plucked up the courage to ask, "How bad was it, Grissom?"

Gil lowered his head, not wanting to meet his CSI's eyes. "He was in a lot of pain and he lost a lot of blood."

This statement had a sobering effect on the group and no more questions were asked after that. Instead, they sat back and joined Grissom in the arduous task of waiting. A few attempts were made at light conversation, but for the most part, they remained silent. Somehow, engaging in trivial small talk seemed disrespectful to Nick. Instead, they turned their thoughts inward and reflected on their friend.

Their moments of quiet contemplation were cut short by the arrival of Brad and Patricia Redman. Grissom suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about Donna. He wondered vaguely how she was doing.

The Redmans made a beeline towards Grissom.

"Mr Grissom, we're sorry to disturb you, but we were told that we could find you here. We wanted to thank you for giving our daughter back to us." Patricia said as she leaned on her husband's arm.

Grissom stood up and took Brad's outstretched hand. "Don't thank me. Nick is the one you should be thanking."

"How is he?" Brad inquired.

"We still don't know." Grissom replied quietly.

The couple fell silent, suddenly feeling awkward as their joy was out of place given the current situation. Wishing to set them at ease, Grissom asked, "How is Donna doing?"

"She's doing just fine. Tired, but fine." Patricia answered with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." Grissom responded honestly. "You have a very brave and very selfless daughter. She risked her life to save those children. You should be proud of her."

Brad wrapped his arm tightly around his wife and hugged her close to him. "We are. We're just so thankful to have her back safe and sound."

With a final handshake and another parting word of thanks, the Redmans departed, leaving Grissom to continue waiting without distraction. Minutes turned into hours and still they heard nothing. Finally, when it seemed that they could wait no longer, something happened.

Grissom's attention was caught by the sight of a doctor approaching in his direction. The man's face was unreadable so Grissom couldn't tell if he came bearing good or bad news. Anxiously, Grissom rose to his feet and steeled his nerves for worst.

"Mr. Grissom? I'm Dr. Wilcox." he addressed the CSI. "I've been working on your colleague, Nick Stokes."

"How is he?" Grissom asked, his heart thudding dully in his chest. The rest of the team had huddled around him and they now stood with bated breath as all of their waiting finally came to an end.

"He lost almost three pints of blood, but we're giving him a blood transfusion to replace what was lost. We preformed an exploratory surgery to trace the path of the bullet. It penetrated his stomach, but nothing else. He was very, very lucky in that regard. We repaired the damage caused by the bullet and he's resting now in recovery." Dr. Wilcox finished his summary with a small, reassuring smile.

The invisible weight that had been pressing on Grissom's shoulders lifted at the doctor's words. Relief, sweet relief. Nick was going to be okay.

"When can we see him?" Grissom asked as Catherine snaked a supportive arm around his waist.

"When he wakes up, I'll have a nurse alert you." the doctor replied.

"Thank you, Doctor." Grissom nodded in appreciation.

* * *

Catherine's eyes roamed the room, her eyes coming to rest upon the members of her surrogate family. Sara had fallen asleep, her head resting on Greg's shoulder. Greg's head was against the back wall. He, too, was asleep. Warrick was nowhere to be found, having abandoned his chair and taken to roaming the halls in order to ease his anxious mind. Her eyes then flashed to the man sitting next to her. Gil looked dead on his feet yet somehow, he had miraculously managed to stay awake.

There had been a few things weighing on Catherine's heart and she figured now was as good as time as any to say them. They had a quiet moment to themselves right now and who's to say when an opportunity like this would present itself again over the next couple of days? She decided to act now.

"You did a brave thing, trying to save Nick and the others like that." Catherine told him softly.

Grissom shook his head, keeping his eyes fixed on his hands in his lap. "I didn't feel very brave and I didn't really do anything. Nick was the one who stayed calm and thought quickly on his feet. You should have seen him in there, Catherine. It was amazing."

Catherine smiled. "That's Nick, our little hero."

"He is a hero in the truest since of the word. He put every fiber of his being into saving that little boy with no thought to himself. That's how he is in everything he does. He gives and he gives. Not because he has to, not because he wants to look good, but because that's who he is. I guess I didn't really realize that till now." Grissom said quietly. He shook his head in dismay. There were so many things that he hadn't understood about Nick until now.

"He's a good man. He has his flaws, but no one can doubt that his heart's in the right place. I don't think I've ever met anyone as genuine as him." Catherine admitted.

Grissom nodded in agreement.

"So, how are you?" Catherine asked, placing a hand on Grissom's shoulder.

"Relieved." Grissom answered. "You were right, Catherine. About everything. I made a mess of things and all have this could have been prevented if I had just listened to you in the beginning. I'm sorry."

Catherine refrained from verbalizing her agreement and instead chose to say, "Well, Nick's going to be okay. You have a chance to make things right between the two of you."

"I know. I intend to. There's all this stuff I should say to him - stuff I want to say - but I don't know how to say it. I'm not very good at this sort of thing." Grissom shifted his eyes to Catherine, allowing her to see the pain still reflecting in them.

"When the time is right, you'll know how to say it. The important thing is to say it and mean it. After all, what's the use of getting a second chance when you don't take advantage of it?" Catherine told him.

Grissom nodded, taking her words to heart. Yes, what would be the point of all this if he failed to say the words that had been tugging at his heart ever since Nick had gone missing? He wiped a tired hand across his face.

"Gil, go home. You've been here for hours. Goodness knows you've been through enough already. You need to get some sleep. It could be hours before Nick wakes up. I'll stay here." Catherine said gently.

Grissom shook his head stubbornly. He didn't want to go home and sleep. It didn't seem fair to Nick.

"Well at least go home and take a shower and change your clothes. I don't think walking in to see him while still wearing a shirt covered in his blood is a good idea. Besides, the nurse probably wouldn't even let you in anyway. You're so dirty." she told him a bit more forcefully.

Grissom looked down as if only just aware of the state of his clothes. Indeed, they were a mess, covered in ash, soot and blood. He couldn't go in to see Nick looking like this. Catherine was right and this time, he was going to listen to her advice.

"Okay." he agreed as he got to his feet. "I won't be gone long."

"I'll hold down the fort till you get back." Catherine said with a tender smile.

As Grissom moved past her, Catherine reached out and grabbed his hand. He turned to look at her and she stared up at him, squeezing his hand gently.

"Everything's going to be okay." she promised.

Remaining silent, Grissom squeezed her hand in return and made his way out the door.

Catherine sighed as she watched her friend depart. She knew that he was carrying an immense weight on his shoulders. She longed to ease it for him, but knew that wasn't a possibility. Only the reassurance that Nick was truly going to be okay and having the opportunity to speak his mind would do that.

Now that she was alone, Catherine picked up a magazine that was laying on the table next to her and tried to find an article interesting enough to distract her. Unfortunately, no such article existed and she had to content herself with flipping aimlessly through it, stopping only long enough to glance at the pictures and read the captions.

After about twenty minutes of this, she tossed the magazine aside and was about to see where Warrick had wandered off to when she saw a nurse heading in her direction. She got to her feet to greet the nurse.

"He's awake." the nurse said with a small smile. She had been watching the CSIs for last few hours and was glad to finally be able to deliver the news that they could once again be reunited with their friend.

"Can I see him?" Catherine asked hopefully.

The nurse nodded and beckoned for the other woman to follow her. As she did so, Catherine shot a look at her colleagues and half considered sharing with them the good news, but she knew that they'd want to see Nick as well and the last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm him with too many visitors.

The nurse led her to Nick's room and Catherine stepped quietly inside. Her heart plummeted at the sight of Nick, bruised and pale, hooked up to so many machines, but she did not hesitate walking to his bedside. His eyes opened at the sound of her approaching footsteps and he gave a her a weak smile.

"Hey Nicky." she whispered as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that I've got all these painkillers in me." he said.

Catherine laughed softly. "That's good."

"Where's Grissom? Is he okay?" Nick asked, his eyes flickering towards the door.

"He's fine. He left just a little while ago. I forced him to go home and get cleaned up." Catherine smiled at the younger man's thoughtfulness. That was Nick. Always thinking of others.

"Donna and the kids are okay then, too?" he inquired hopefully.

Catherine ran her fingers over Nick's knuckles as a sign of tender affection. "Yeah, Nicky, they're just fine. Thanks to you."

"Where's Nathan? Is he nearby? I'd like to see him. There are a few things I'd like to say to him." Nick told Catherine.

The elation Catherine had been feeling at seeing Nick awake and being able to carry on a conversation faded in an instant. She hesitated, not sure if now was the time to tell him what happened.

Nick sensed her apprehension. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nathan didn't make it. I'm so sorry, Nicky." Catherine told him gently.

Nick shook his head in disbelief. "What do you mean? He was right behind me. He was injured but up and moving. He was there. He should have been there."

"I'm sorry." Catherine repeated, tears threatening to escape from the corner of her eyes as she took in Nick's sorrow.

Nick closed his eyes and fell silent. He seemed to be waging an internal battle against a fury of emotions that were threatening to overpower him and it was obvious that he was losing. His eyes opened again and Catherine could see them glistening with unshed tears.

"He saved my life. Levi shot me and I was down. He was going to kill me, but Nathan showed up and shot him. He got me back on my feet and put Matthew in my arms. He told me how to get out of the warehouse. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him." Nick's voice cracked with emotion.

Feeling overcome with guilt and shame, Nick turned his head away from Catherine and stared at the wall. He whispered, "I should have checked. I should have made sure he was behind me. Why didn't I?"

"It wasn't your fault, Nick. You were injured and you lost a lot of blood. There was nothing you could have done. The firemen just barely got to you in time." Catherine tried to offer him some comfort, but Nick refused to be comforted.

As Nick's exhausted body gave way to the overwhelming sorrow he was feeling, Catherine joined him in his grief, never letting go of his hand.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Special thanks to my good friend, Kristen999, who helped me with the medical terms and procedures. I truly appreciated it as well as you! 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Grissom had intended to just take a shower, change his clothes and head back to the hospital. However once he arrived home, the allure of his bed was too great and he decided to give himself a few minutes to rest his eyes. His body was so completely worn out that he was asleep within seconds of his head touching the pillow and what he had intended to be only a few minutes of repose turned into hours of deep sleep. Only the sound of his phone ringing woke him.

He sat up straight in his bed, immediately aware that he had slept far longer than he had intended. Grissom rubbed away the last vestiges of sleep clinging to his eyes as he muttered a quick apology to Catherine who had been calling to check on him. He promised to be at the hospital shortly and hung up the phone.

Not too much time had passed before he was walking down the hallway towards Nick's room. Catherine was standing just outside the door, waiting for him. When he got closer, she went over to him and gave him a hug. He accepted this gesture without complaint, knowing that she needed the touch of human contact as much as he did right now.

When they pulled apart, Grissom said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long."

"Not to worry, Gil. You needed to sleep. Besides, Nick's been in and out of consciousness. Has been for the past few hours." Catherine told him as she patted his arm.

"How is he?" Grissom asked, craning his neck to get a glimpse inside Nick's room.

Catherine shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal way. "He's going to be okay though he looks simply awful. Emotionally, it's a different story. He's been through a lot."

Catherine related the story of Nick's encounter with Levi and Nathan, giving Grissom a clearer picture of the horrors Nick had endured. She also informed him of Nick's reaction when he had heard that Nathan didn't survive.

"He just needs a bit of guidance and reassurance, I think." Catherine gave him a pointed look.

Grissom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Instead of answering her, he walked towards the door of Nick's room and went inside. Content to just be near him, the rest of the team was sitting around the bed that contained the sleeping form of their friend.

"Hey Grissom. Get some sleep?" Warrick asked when his boss came over to sit in the empty chair next to him.

"A little." Grissom admitted.

"Well our boy's on his fourth or fifth nap." Warrick shot a weary yet somewhat relieved look at his friend.

"That's good. He needs it." Grissom replied. "And so do you. I want you, all of you, to go home and get some rest."

There were some mutinous glances and protestations, but Grissom would have none of it. Finally, the others stood up and left with the promise of returning as soon as they could. Once they were gone, Grissom moved to Warrick's chair, which was nearer to Nick's face. He picked up the magazine Warrick had discarded and flipped through it, but it could not hold his attention very long. He was too anxious so he contented himself with watching Nick sleep while his mind rehearsed the things he wanted to say when his CSI woke up.

He knew in his mind what to say, but it was the "how" that was still puzzling him as well as the "when." He didn't just want to bombard Nick with a heavy conversation the minute he woke up. That just might add to his emotional state, but if he waited too long, Grissom knew he might never say anything which wasn't good either.

Grissom tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair in an uncharacteristic manner and he shifted in his seat, fighting off the nerves that were steadily increasing. The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering madly, making it almost impossible for him to keep still. Jumping to his feet, he began to pace the floor.

As he was doing this, a nurse came into the room. She shot Grissom a look which told him plainly that she did not care for his pacing and then immediately went over to Nick's side and began to check the monitors.

"Perhaps you'd like to have a seat, sir." she told him pointedly in a falsely sweet voice.. "I find it's better for the patient to wake up on his own rather than be woken up by loud and persistent stomping."

Grissom opened his mouth to respond when Nick's eyes fluttered open. The nurse turned her attention to Nick and smiled sweetly at him. "Hi, hon. Hope you're feeling better. You have a friend here to see you."

She stepped aside and shot Grissom a look of irritation as he moved forward to reclaim his seat next to Nick.

"Hey." Nick greeted somewhat groggily. He fidgeted in an attempt to try and get into a better position to talk to his supervisor, but only succeeded in sending spasms of pain throughout his body. In the end, he decided it was best to just lay still.

"How are you?" Grissom asked, leaning forward for a closer inspection.

Nick waved a hand rather weakly in what was supposed to be a dismissive manner, but it did not do much to alleviate Grissom's nerves. "Like I told Catherine, I feel much better with all these painkillers in me."

Grissom hesitated at these words and in shame, lowered his head a bit. "Catherine told me what happened. I'm sorry you got hurt and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you. It was not my intention to leave you behind."

"It's not your fault. You didn't do it on purpose. Things were crazy in there with all that smoke." Nick said, trying to make his voice sound more casual than he felt.

"I'm sorry about Nathan too. I know what he did for you. That was truly heroic." Grissom said quietly.

Nick's gaze faltered at the mention of Nathan's name. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. "Well at least he died knowing that he was doing that right thing. That's gotta be a little bit comforting, right?"

His brown eyes looked back up at Grissom. There was so much pain and uncertainty reflected in them as they scanned Grissom's face for some kind of reassurance. Grissom opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when words began tumbling out of Nick's mouth at a rapid pace.

"Grissom, I am so sorry for everything that happened. It's all my fault. I messed up big time and got Donna and myself in trouble. You had to come in and clean it all up. You have no idea how sorry I am. Everything you said about me was true, Grissom. You were right and I was too stupid to realize it until it was too late." Nick hung his head in sorrow and pulled at the sheet that was covering him.

Grissom suddenly reached forward and grabbed the young man's hand. Though both men were unaccustomed to sharing a moment of physical contact with one another, they didn't fight it. Nick looked up, allowing Grissom to see the mixture of pain and despair clouding his features.

"No, Nick, I was completely wrong about you." Grissom said firmly, not taking his eyes away from Nick's. "I implied that you were someone who engaged in heroics for the sake of garnishing attention. That it was some form of selfishness and arrogance that made you think you could save people. That's not true at all. You put yourself at risk because you deeply care about others. I have never known a person to be so genuine in their concern for others as you are. You're willing to risk it all in order to help others. That's a rare quality to find these days and I never fully appreciated it until now."

Nick seemed mesmerized by his words, a thing for which Grissom was thankful. It meant that Nick was not going to try and interrupt him. Now that he had started, Grissom didn't want to stop. "When you went missing, I finally got a taste of what it must be like to be you. I threw myself into the task of finding you. I put myself in harm's way in order to help you because I couldn't bear the thought of something terrible happening to you and knowing that I could have prevented it. I don't say this to brag because my recent actions are nothing to be proud of. I say this because I feel that I'm starting to understand what's going on inside that head of yours. I'm starting understand your motivations. I'm starting to understand you and I like the man I'm getting to know."

"My actions over the past month have been unforgivable. I was deliberately mean to you and made every attempt to put you down. I want to apologize for that though I don't deserve your forgiveness. As your supervisor, you needed me to help you, to give you guidance, and I did not fulfill my responsibilities to you. You needed me to listen and I refused to. My ill treatment of you was the reason you went running into danger in the first place." Grissom said in dismay.

Nick shook his head. He couldn't let Grissom take all the responsibility. Not when he was the one who had acted rashly. "No way, Grissom. I made that decision on my own. You and the fight we had played no part in that choice."

Grissom gave him the smallest hint of a knowing smile. "Yes it did, Nick. You don't have to protect me."

Grissom lowered his head, allowing himself to break eye contact for a few moments as he gathered his thoughts. When he finally raised his head again, he said, "I'm not the kind of man who can easily say what's on his mind. I'm not someone who's in touch with his emotions and who knows what he's feeling. That's just not who I am, but it's who you are. I think that is part of the reason you and I have difficulties communicating and being honest with each other. We're just wired differently. I'm not trying to excuse myself from any blame. I'm just trying to be honest with you. Maybe for the first time since I've known you. When you were taken, I suddenly realized why I had been so angry with you over the past month. As it turns out, I wasn't really angry with you at all. I was scared for you."

Nick made as if to respond to this, but Grissom held up a hand. He wanted to finish his thoughts uninterrupted. "I know that your gift of empathy is just that - a gift. No one else on our team has the strong capacity for concern for others that you do, and I think it's a quality that makes our team stronger."

Grissom sighed as he moved into a more serious matter. He wanted to be completely honest with Nick and while that meant apologizing, it also meant voicing some of his concerns. "However, I won't lie to you when I say that it concerns me at the same time. You care so much, Nick, and sometimes, I'm worried that you care too much. It can lead you into danger. It has before and it could happen again. You've gotten lucky and survived these instances unscathed for the most part, but next time you might not be so lucky. I need you to promise me that you'll be careful. I need you to promise me that you'll think before rushing in to save someone either physically or metaphorically. I'm not just worried about your physical safety. I'm worried about what it's going to do to you emotionally when you can't save the people you care about, because the truth is Nick, you can't save everyone. Not all stories have happy endings. You will fail some people or they will fail you, and I'm worried about what that will do to you over the years."

Grissom watched as Nick looked away, absorbing the words he had just uttered. He could tell that he had struck a chord with the younger man and was thankful for all he wanted was for Nick to truly hear what he was saying.

"Understand that I am not trying to chastise you or make you feel guilty. Contrary to popular belief, I don't revel in the task of pointing out your flaws. Everyone has their problem areas. I have plenty as I'm sure you know full well." Grissom was pleased to see a small smile tug playfully at the corner of Nick's mouth.

"I'm being honest with you because I care about you. I want to look out for you. Not because it's my job, but because it's my privilege." Grissom said with heartfelt honesty.

Nick nodded in understanding. His voice cracked a bit as he said, "Thanks Grissom. I'll keep what you said in mind."

"That's all I'm asking." Grissom said quietly. He squeezed Nick's hand once more and then let it go. He got to his feet.

"Well, I better go or that nurse will have my head. She seems to think that my presence is impeding your ability to recover." Grissom told him in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Despite my appearance, I am feeling much better. I'd be back at the lab tomorrow if they'd just let me out of this bed." Nick said as shifted around on the mattress.

"You're not coming back to the lab for a while. Not until you prove to me that you're healthy and whole. Now I want you to get plenty of rest and don't give the nurse any trouble." Grissom wagged a finger at him.

"Yes, sir." Nick smiled as he gave a mock salute.

"Take it easy, Nick." Grissom smiled and left so his CSI could get some rest.

* * *

"Opening up that air vent was a nice move, man. I don't think I would have looked there." Warrick patted his friend on the back with a smile as they walked down the hallway of the lab. 

"It just came to me." Nick admitted with a shrug. "But the important thing is that we got him. Mr. Rogers is going away for a long time."

Warrick shook his head, suppressing a laugh. "Stop calling him that."

Nick held up his hand with an air of innocence. "What? That's his name. Bernard Rogers."

"It's the way you say his name. Every time we spoke with him, I kept waiting for him to ask me if I wanted to be his neighbor." Warrick grinned.

Nick smiled, unable to contain his good mood. He had just wrapped up his first case since returning to work after spending four weeks recovering from his injuries. He had gone nearly stir-crazy sitting around his house for the past few weeks, but he was house-bound no more. Things were going well and he was glad to be back.

As they passed one of the layout rooms, Grissom came out to meet them.

"Solve your case?" he asked by way of greeting.

The younger men nodded in unison and Nick replied, "All that's left is the report."

"Well, since you're done, I could use your assistance." Grissom said turning to Nick. "I'm sure Warrick can write the report on his own."

Shooting a smirk in Warrick's direction, Nick followed in the wake of his boss. He entered the layout room, finding it the table covered with evidence pertaining to Grissom's latest case.

"What's up?" Nick asked, examining the table. There were crime scene photos laid out to one side next to a blood-stained shirt.

"I need your help making sense of some blood patterns I found at the crime scene and on my victim's shirt. I thought it might be good to let a second pair of eyes take a look." Grissom informed him, picking up a photo.

Nick felt a stab of pride that Grissom had solicited his opinion. "Sure. I'd be happy to help."

Grissom hesitated, the photo still clutched in his hand. "It's good to have you back. The lab's not the same without you."

Smiling, Nick took the photo. "Thanks, Grissom. For everything."

"No, thank you. Thanks for giving me a second chance." Grissom gave him a small smile.

After a moment of silence, they turned their attention to the photos and began to work together, each man feeling a great appreciation for the other.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Well, that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for the kind reviews! It means a lot to me. I just wanted to say a special word of thanks to Kristen999, who gave me so much encouragement while I was writing this story. Thank you, Kristen! 

Now it's on to my next piece! Another light-hearted romp just like this one!


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